To Have and To Hold
by Becks7
Summary: Continuation of "Finding the Way Home" and "Here and Now." Read those first. The wedding planning is underway. Will there be a happily ever after? Or will this wedding make you cry...but for all the wrong reasons?
1. In Sickness and in Health

Disclaimer...yes, I actually remembered to do it in the first chapter!...The Planeteers aren't mine. Anyone that you don't recognize from the show are mine, but who cares because I'm not making money off of this.

Summary: A continuation of the story that started in "Finding the way Home," and continued in "Here and Now." The wedding planning is underway. Will there be a happily ever after? Or will you cry at this wedding, but for all the wrong reasons?

A/N: I'm revisiting my first two fics which I had always intended to expand into a sort of mini series of possibly four stories. Wolvmbm made a request for a specific storyline, and the topic was something that I had always planned on writing, but got distracted by all the other storylines that popped into my head. So, if you haven't done so already, read (or re-read) "Finding the Way Home" and "Here and Now." I had to re-read them too to refresh my memory! Plus this story refers to things that happened in those fics, so you'll be lost if you haven't read them. I usually don't like to start posting my stories until I have them completely finished and then break them down into chapters, but I've been jumping around with this one and I keep adding and taking stuff out so I figured that the best way to stop doing that was to start posting it because I'm less likely to go back and change it once it's posted! Hope you like it!

Oh, and one more thing, I'm not a doctor, nor do I know much about medicine, but I did some research to make things as accurate and believable as I could, but I also took some liberties for drama's sake. And the stuff that I did research, I did my best to try and understand and make it easier to explain without getting too boring with the details.

* * *

**To Have and To Hold**

_Chapter 1: In Sickness and in Health_

It has been several months since Wheeler asked Linka to marry him. In that time, much has happened. They have been busy fighting eco-villains, going to conferences about environmental issues, sometimes speaking at them, sometimes just listening, helping in relief efforts at various natural disasters, etc. And in between all that, Wheeler and Linka somehow found the time to help his parents move from their tiny apartment in Brooklyn to the newly constructed guest house at Linka's (and now Wheeler's) house in Scarsdale.

Things have been slow for the last few days so when Wheeler's parents called and asked that Wheeler and Linka come home for a visit, although it was unusual for them to ask, the young couple was grateful for the opportunity to go "home" for a few days.

Wheeler was piloting the Geo Cruiser while Linka was reading a book. He had been quiet long enough and needed to make conversation in order to make the time go by faster.

"You know, when most normal people go on vacation, they GO to a tropical island. When we go on vacation, we LEAVE one," he muses.

"Mmm hmm," Linka responds, but seems distracted.

"Something bothering you Babe?"

"Nyet…well maybe. Something just does not seem right. Not that I am complaining, but your parents have never asked us to come home before. I hope everything is ok."

"I'm sure it is. They would have said something if it was urgent. I think they just miss us! Ma probably just wants to show off her flower garden. It's all she's been talking about. I'm kinda excited about seeing the new puppy too!"

"Da. Me too. I still think it was cute that your dad called and ASKED if they could get it!"

"HA! More like BEGGED! Talk about role reversal! I used to be the one that begged them for a puppy, but we could never get one because of the apartment."

"Well, they did not need our permission. If they want a dog, they can have as many as they'd like. I mean, we have got all those stables that are empty too. If they want cows, horses, goats…whatever. They can get them, it is their house too."

"Yeah, but they probably still don't feel comfortable doing that without making sure it's ok with you."

"If they take care of it, it is fine with me. At least it would give your dad something to do. He must get bored during the day when your mother is at work."

"Nah, he's perfectly content watching The Price Is Right and yelling at the TV when the news is on. And now that the weather is warming up, he can putz around outside. He'll probably start his own vegetable garden and become one of those guys that has a million bird feeders and each one is filled with a different kinda seed for all the different kinds of birds," he jokes.

"Nothing wrong with feeding the birds! I could even give him some of my books that identify the different kinds," she replies.

"Haha, my old man…a birdwatcher?! Man, things have really changed."

* * *

It wasn't long before they landed at the house and were soon greeted on the lawn by Kathy and Joe Wheeler and a tiny little black fur ball.

"Hey you two! How was your flight?!" Kathy asks as she hugs them both.

"Pretty smooth, Linka only let me do one barrel roll!" Wheeler replies as he scoops up the black Labrador puppy. "Hiya Mindy."

"What?!" Kathy exclaims.

"He is kidding. He does not do any crazy stunts in the plane…at least not anymore," Linka says while reaching out to scratch the pup behind the ears. "She is so cute!"

"Anymore?" Joe asks.

"Yeah, when I first started flying it, I'd give the others a good scare by doing my 'Top Gun' impersonation."

"That's my boy!" Joe says as he slaps Wheeler on the back.

"Are you kids hungry?" Kathy asks. "We have a frozen pizza we could throw in the oven."

"That sounds great. I'm starving," Wheeler says.

* * *

They eat their meal and move to sit out on the front porch of the guesthouse. The puppy follows them, but has been very well behaved and when they were eating, did not even beg for food.

Wheeler picked up the puppy and sat her on his lap. She licked his face and then settled into his lap for a nap.

"So where'd you guys come up with the name 'Mindy?'" he asks.

"Well, we wanted to call her 'Windy' since Linka's power is wind. We thought it would be a nice tribute to her for her generosity and kindness, but 'Windy' sort of sounded like 'Wendy' but if you flip the 'W' upside down, it becomes am 'M' and we get 'Mindy,'" Kathy explains.

"Aww, that is so sweet. Thank you."

"Hey wait a minute…I'm your son, why didn't you name the dog after me?!"

"Because it's a girl dog…and besides, Linka is practically our daughter," Joe says.

"Whatever," Wheeler says, feigning hurt feelings. "The next pet better be named after me!"

"Da, the stables are empty…you can get a donkey and name him 'Jackass,'" Linka teases.

"HEY!!" Wheeler protests while Kathy, Joe, and Linka laugh at him.

"Sorry lubov moya. I could not resist," she apologizes. He just gives her a sad look and goes back to rubbing the puppy's belly.

"Kathy, your flowers look beautiful," Linka says, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh why thank you dear! I used to love gardening with my mother when I was younger. I always wanted a flower garden of my own, but the closest I ever had was a flower box outside a window."

"Well, now you can put flowers wherever you want. Do you think the yard could use some flowered trees?" Linka asks.

"Like a dogwood or a magnolia?"

"I do not know the names of them, but yes. Anything that blooms would be pretty."

The mundane conversations about flowers, the weather, sports, and Planeteer missions continued into the evening. Kathy was hoping that the topic of the wedding planning would come up, but it never did. She could no longer wait, and had to ask.

"So how is the wedding planning coming?"

"Wow! I can't believe she waited this long to ask!" Joe teases.

"Ok I guess. There's not much to plan. We're just doing something simple on the Island. All we really need to do is figure out who to invite and then order the food and cake," Wheeler says.

"Really? Is that all you think we need?" Linka asks.

"Well, yeah. What else is there?"

"You need a tux, I need a dress, we both need to figure out how many bridesmaids and groomsmen we will have and ask them to be in the wedding, I have a wedding band thanks to your Grandma Wheeler, but we still need to pick out a band for you. We need to make a list of who we are inviting, order invitations…and that is just what I can think of off the top of my head."

"Have you picked a date yet for the wedding?" Joe asks.

"No. That's the one thing we have talked about though. Once we figure it out, we want to keep that a secret for as long as possible. We figured that the eco villains will either do something to try and ruin the wedding, or chose that day to plan something big because they think we'll be distracted," Wheeler explains.

"What if something comes up in the middle of the ceremony?" Kathy asks.

"Then we will have to go and postpone for another time," Linka says.

"Maybe you should start thinking about setting a date…and soon," Kathy says, fighting back tears.

"Kathy, don't…" Joe says.

"What's wrong Ma? Pop? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine son. Your mom's just excited about the wedding."

"No, it's more than that. I'm not a kid anymore and I used to be a detective with the NYPD. If you're gonna lie to me, you gotta do better than that!"

"Is it your health?" Linka asks Joe as she places a comforting arm around Kathy.

"Yeah. When I went to get registered for the donor list, they tested me for blood type so they could narrow down the donor compatibility. Turns out, I have a rare blood type, En(a-) or somethin' like that. The chances of finding a compatible donor are slim to none. My best chance at a match is a blood relative, and I've pissed so many of them off over the years, there's no way in hell they'd be willing to help me…plus it would require that they kick the bucket…and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. Especially to save my sorry ass."

"Joe, please don't talk like that!" Kathy pleads.

"What if they don't have to be dead?" Wheeler asks. "The liver can regenerate so it can be taken from a live donor. The donor would be fine."

"Wheeler, how do you know about this?" Linka asks.

"I saw it on TV," he quietly admits.

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I should have known!"

"Still. Any kind of surgery is risky. I couldn't ask someone to do that for me."

"Well, what if I _volunteer_ to be tested?"

"WHAT?!" the others all exclaim.

"Absolutely not," Joe states.

"Come on Pop. I could be a match. A few years ago when I had my appendectomy, they had to postpone my surgery because they didn't have my blood type in stock and they couldn't do the surgery without it…just in case there was a problem and I needed it. They ended up having it transferred from a blood bank all the way out in California. But I have no idea what my blood type is. I never asked because I never did understand all that A, B, O AB, and positive and negative stuff. But I'll get tested and find out."

"No Jason. I won't have you putting yourself at risk. I've made my bed, now I have to lie in it. Now listen to me and forget about this whole idea."

"Since when have I ever listened to you?" Wheeler joked.

"Well if you won't listen to me, listen to your beautiful fiancé…tell 'im Linka. Tell 'im to forget it."

"Umm. I…Are you sure there is no chance of finding a donor?"

"I have a better chance of winning the lottery…twice in one day," Joe replies.

"I'm doin' it," Wheeler proclaims. "What's the worse that can happen?"

"You could die!" Linka blurts out.

"Oh come on Babe. It's not like the doctor's don't know what they're doing. It's probably a routine surgery…no more dangerous than getting my appendix out."

"You do not need your appendix Yankee. The liver is a vital organ!"

"She's right," Joe says. "It's not worth the risk."

"Saving your life isn't worth the risk? And the liver can't be THAT important if a person can survive with a partial one for a while until it grows back."

"_**I'm**_ not worth the risk," Joe says.

"Don't talk like that honey," Kathy begs.

"You agreed to get yourself on the donor list so you could watch your grandkids grow up. You gonna give that up now?" Wheeler asks.

"If something happens to you, I won't have any grandkids to watch. All I need now is to see you marry the love of your life, and know that you will be a better husband and father than I was…but I already know that you will be."

"Is that what this is about? You feel guilty? Pop, I forgive you. It's over. I don't know what more I need to do or say to convince you of that. Maybe if I gave you part of my liver, you'd believe me then?"

"No, there's no need to go that far. Just be a better man than me. Never hurt your wife, remember your anniversary, buy her a nice gift, take her out to dinner…not just on special occasions, but just because. Always make time for your kids. Take them to ball games, play with them even after a long hard day at work. Come straight home after work and spend as much time as you can with your family because before you know it, your kids are grown, and you're old and running out of time. Will you remember that for me?"

"Of course…and I'll be sure to pass it on to my kids."

"Good. Now, it's getting late. We should be heading in," Joe says.

"Yeah," Wheeler says somberly.

"Why don't you kids come over tomorrow morning for breakfast?" Kathy asks.

"That sounds nice," Linka replies. "We will see you then."

* * *

Wheeler hasn't said a word since saying goodnight to his parents. He crawls into bed and rolls onto his side, his back to Linka.

"Are you not going to say goodnight?"

"Goodnight," he mumbles.

"Are you mad about something?"

"Did you hear the way my dad was talking?"

"Da, he said some really nice things."

"He's giving up, just like that. He's saying goodbye."

"Do not think of it like that. Think of it more like him giving you some fatherly advice."

"I just wish you'd have backed me up out there. A little support would have been nice."

"I am sorry Wheeler, but I cannot support you on this. I can not risk losing you."

"So I'm just supposed to let my mom watch my dad die?" he asks.

"I feel sorry for your mother. I feel sorry that your whole family has to go through this, but in this instance, I must be selfish. Am I supposed to just let you do something that could take you away from me?"

"What's the harm in being tested? I might not even be a match…I just need to know."

"And what if you find out you are a match? Then what?"

"I don't know."

"I do. You will insist on doing it."

"You know me so well," he quips dryly.

"Which is why I also know that you are going to be tested whether your parents and I support it or not." Now it was Linka who rolled onto her side and turned her back to him.

"Are you surprised?" he asks.

"Nyet. Just upset that you have no consideration for my feelings and how hard it is going to be on me, watching you go through with this, knowing my fiancé could die."

"Husband," he says, rolling over to face her.

"What?" She turns to face him.

"Husband. If I'm a match, I want to get married _before_ me and Pop go through with the surgery."

"Wheeler, you heard your father…he will not go through with the surgery."

"I'll talk to Ma. She'll talk him into it."

"Do you think your mother is going to let you go through with this?"

"Yeah, I think she is. She didn't agree with Pop when he was telling me no."

Wheeler wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on top of her head, "I think we should all meet with the doctors, get the facts, and know the potential risks, if any, before ruling anything out…I promise, if the doctor says it's too risky, I won't do it."

"Promise?" she asks.

"Yes. Listen…this might come out wrong and sound meaner than I want it to, but it's the truth. I love my dad. But he's screwed up alot in the past. We were never close when I was growing up, and I never really felt like I had a 'real' dad, ya know? I felt like I never mattered to my dad. I shouldn't feel like I owe him any favors. _BUT_ he's still my dad. And he's changed alot these last few years. I know he's sorry and I really do forgive him, but **YOU** are my number one priority. I spent so much time waiting for you and hoping that I'd eventually get to where we are now. There's no way I'm gonna give that up. Not now. Not when we're just getting started…not even for my dad."

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"BUT, if I can do something for him, as long as the risk is low and I know I'll be coming back to you, I gotta do it."

"I cannot argue with that."

"Good, cuz I'm done arguin'," he says as he kisses her cheek. "Now…about this wedding. I think while we're in New York, you and Ma should go look for a dress. Maybe we can have Gi and the guys meet us up here and she can go with you. Plus, she can give some input on the bridesmaid dresses. And I'll take Pop and the guys out to look at tuxes."

"I have two friends from school that I would like to ask to be bridesmaids as well," Linka says.

"Cool. I wanted to ask one of my buddies from the PD to be a groomsman…remember Petrosky?"

"Da."

"So that'll give each of us three. And when we're done, there's a Party City in Yonkers, which is probably the closest one to here, so we can stop there and pick out our invitations, order them, and pick up some decorations and other things for the ceremony."

"Ok."

"What's with the one word answers? Aren't you excited? WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" he says excitedly as he playfully bounces up and down, causing the waterbed to rock.

"Of course I am excited. It is all just happening so fast. I thought we would have more time to plan things more thoroughly and make it perfect."

"Oh geez…you and your planning. We can put this together in a few weeks and it'll be just as good as if we'd planned it a year in advance. It'll be perfect no matter what Linka. As long as the end result is you and me being husband and wife, that's all that matters."

"I know, but how are we going to get everyone we want to be there to Hope Island on such short notice? Why even bother with the invitations? It is just an extra expense. We should just call everyone and tell them when to be there. I only have Mishka and his family."

"And I only have a few relatives and friends that I want to be there…so that's taken care of. We'll each call our people and let them know."

"And what about food? Wedding cake? How will we get everyone to Hope Island? Who will be performing the ceremony?" Linka asks.

"Relax Babe-uska. I'll take care of it. My mom's brother is a priest, so that's taken care of. We can transport people from New York and Russia using the Geo Cruiser and Eco-Copter. Plus, I think it'd be cool if our family members came to the island a few days before, that way we can all get to know each other, and it won't be like we're rushing around the day of the wedding to get everyone there. It'll be like a family reunion and mini vacation for everyone! We can pick up some stuff to make food and my Ma and aunts can make some dishes for the reception, and we'll order a cake from the best bakery in New York."

"We cannot ask our guests to make food, especially if they are on VACATION!"

"It's ok. They LOVE cooking. My mom's family is Italian, so not only can they cook, but they're GOOD cooks. I guarantee the food they make will be better than anything a caterer can make," Wheeler says.

"Sounds like you have everything under control then. You just tell me where and when, and I'll be there!" she jokes.

"Deal. Well, if Ma's gonna make us breakfast tomorrow, I guess I gotta get up early. We better get some sleep. G'night."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Wheeler wasn't joking, he got up early the next morning and was showered and dressed before Linka even woke up.

He went over to the guesthouse to find his mother already up and preparing breakfast.

"Hey Ma, need any help?"

"That's nice of you to offer honey. Can you stir this batter for me while I scramble the eggs?"

"Sure."

"You're up early," she notes.

"Yeah. I went to bed early last night and I had alot on my mind so I didn't sleep very good."

"Everything ok?"

"Is Dad still sleeping?" he asks.

"Yes. He's been more tired lately and sleeps longer. Is Linka still in bed."

"Yeah. She's usually up before me. Maybe she didn't sleep very well either."

"Is something wrong?"

"No…well maybe. She was kinda upset with me for wanting to look into the live donor thing. Then I was kinda mad at her for not backing me up. Then we got that settled and started talking about the wedding and making plans for that. It's just a little overwhelming. She's a control freak and very detail oriented, so doing things last minute and in a hurry isn't easy for her."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up your father's situation. You don't need to hurry things along on our account. But we wanted to tell you the news in person."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanna get tested to see if I'm a match. I know Dad is against it and Linka's not thrilled with the idea, but I might not even be a match…I just need to be sure. And if I am a match, then I wanna talk to the doctors about the risks involved. If it's not too risky, I wanna have the surgery and save Dad. But I need you to talk him into it."

"That's very brave of you sweetie, but I don't think he's going to agree. And I don't know if I want to put you through that either. I can't lose both of you."

"That's why I want all four of us to meet with a doctor. The doctor can let us know what's involved, how risky or how safe it is. But we're getting ahead of ourselves; I might not even be a match."

Their conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door. They can see through the window that it is Linka.

"Come in dear," Kathy calls to her.

"Good morning. It smells delicious in here!" Linka says.

"Thank you. I hope you like scrambled eggs and pancakes."

"I love them. Can I help?"

"Nah, me and Ma have everything under control Babe," Wheeler says as he goes over to Linka and gives her a quick kiss. "Good morning."

"You are up early. You should have woken me up; I would have come over to help too."

"You looked peaceful, didn't want to wake you."

"I thought I smelled something good," Joe says as he enters the kitchen. "Looks like I'm late to this party though."

"Nah Pop, you're just on time…breakfast is served," Wheeler says as he places the platter of pancakes in the middle of the table.

Kathy brings over a plate of bacon and a bowl of scrambled eggs. The four sit down and enjoy their breakfast. Wheeler sneaks a few pieces of bacon under the table for Mindy. After they finish breakfast and clean up the kitchen, they head outside to sit on the patio and enjoy their coffee while they converse. Wheeler knows that he must bring up the topic that no one wants to talk about, but he has no intention of backing down.

"So Pop, I wanted to talk to you about something," he started.

Linka's back stiffened and Kathy sets her coffee mug down.

"What's on your mind son?"

"I'm going to see your doctor today and find out what my blood type is. If by some chance, I'm a match, I'm going to ask him about a live donor transplant…"

"I told you last night, absolutely not! I **WILL NOT** put you in the position of risking your own health for me."

"Hear me out and let me finish. I've already talked to Linka and Ma about this, and now I'm talking to you. I just wanna see if I'm a match, if so, then I wanna know how risky the procedure is, and I want all of you there to hear what the doctor has to say, that way we can all ask questions. Then, if it's all good, we'll have a nice wedding with friends and family on Hope Island, and then we'll schedule the surgery."

"There will be **NO** surgery. Why can't you get that through your thick head?!" Joe argues.

"And why can't you get it through your thick head that I'm gonna at least try to save you? Besides, you're outnumbered," Wheeler counters.

"Is that so?" Joe looks to Kathy and Linka.

"It can't hurt to see what the options are," Linka says.

"At least come with us when Jason is tested. If he is a match, then we will see what the options are," Kathy says.

"And you're ok with this?" Joe asks Linka, putting her on the spot.

"I support whatever Jason chooses to do."

"Yeah, but are you _OK_ with it?" Joe asks again.

"I am scared. But hopefully talking with the doctor will give me…_**us**_…answers and ease any fears. I think you should come with us and see what the doctor has to say."

* * *

Two hours later, they sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Linka picks up a magazine and quietly flips through it. She jumps when Wheeler's name is called by the nurse.

"I hate tests. I didn't even study," he jokes as he stands up.

Linka looks up at him nervously with a slight smile in acknowledgement of his joke.

He brushes his hand across her cheek in a comforting manner and says "See you in a bit."

Kathy pats the empty seat next to her that Wheeler has just vacated and motions for Linka to sit there.

"Are you ok dear?"

"I am fine. Just nervous."

"Jason said you two were talking about alot of things last night. Did you not sleep well?" Kathy asks.

"I slept fine. I think I need some fresh air. Excuse me," Linka says as she stands up and goes outside to the balcony.

Linka is lost in thought and doesn't even hear the door open behind her. She isn't aware of anyone else's presence on the balcony until she is wrapped in a familiar embrace. He whispers in her ear,

"What's a pretty lady like you doin' out here all alone?"

"Waiting for my fiancé to come back from a test," she replies.

"He's a fool for leaving you alone."

"I know," she turns in his arms to face him. "He better never leave me."

"He won't," Wheeler says as he pulls her against him.

"Do they know the results yet?" she asks.

"No. It'll be a while yet. Wanna get something to eat while we wait?"

"Nyet, I do not feel like eating."

* * *

A half hour later, while sitting in the waiting room, Wheeler's name is once again called.

"Mr. Wheeler, we have the results if you'd like to come back now," the lab tech says.

"Can she come with me?" he asks, pointing to Linka.

"Of course."

Wheeler holds out his hand to Linka. She takes it and follows him back to the exam room where the doctor is waiting.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. For Richer or Poorer

Thanks for the reviews. Ok, LouiseX, my turn, as promised! Lots of medical info in this one...I hope the internet is reliable because that's where I found it all! If not, oh well. That's why they call it "fiction!"

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_For Richer or Poorer_

"Dr. Richardson, this is my fiancé, Linka."

"Nice to meet you," the doctor says, extending his hand.

"You too," Linka replies, accepting the handshake.

"Well, no sense in beating around the bush. Let's get right too it shall we?" the doctor says as he motions to them to have a seat.

Wheeler continues to hold Linka's hand in both of his, trying to ease her nervousness while hiding his own.

Dr. Richardson opens a file and sets it in front of Wheeler. "Here are your results…you share the same rare blood type as your father. You are a match."

Linka closes her eyes and tries not to express her disappointment. Wheeler lets out a sigh and asks, "So now what?"

"Now, I suggest we talk to your father about our options. Is he here?"

"Yeah, he's in with waiting room with my mom," Wheeler replies.

"Let's get them in here shall we?"

* * *

A few moments later, Kathy and Joe join them. The doctor informs them of the results and discusses their options.

Dr. Richardson explains,

"In a Live-Donor Liver Transplant we will transplant just sixty percent of Jason's liver into Joe. This transplant is very different then other transplants though. After the liver is transplanted into Joe, it grows back to the original size. Both the donor's and patient's livers grow back to the full size in a short span of two to eight weeks."

"Cool," Wheeler says.

"What's all involved in the procedure?" Joe asks.

"The first thing that happens is the person needing a transplant finds a donor, which, obviously, you have. The next thing that happens is the donor and patient go through a serious of tests making sure they are healthy and have no other problems in their liver. So, after weeks of preparation and being careful of disease, the transplant will occur. First, I will perform the transplant from the donor and take the liver. That transplant takes roughly five hours. Once the liver is out, we preserve it in a solution and ice. We will then proceed to the next room where the recipient is waiting and transplant the liver. That surgery takes about ten to twelve hours," Dr. Richardson informs them.

"What are the potential problems?" Linka asks.

"This procedure is an excellent medical discovery, but like all surgeries, there are problems. This particular transplant costs about 280,000 dollars or more. Lots of people don't have the money for that."

"Whoa. There's no way we can afford that," Joe says.

"We have insurance, that should cover some of it right?" Kathy asks.

"Yes, most insurance companies will cover some of it, but there's still a large out of pocket expense."

"Do not worry about that," Linka says. "Whatever is left over, we can cover. What about the health risks to the donor and recipient?"

"Like in any other transplant, you have the risk of becoming infected or sick after the transplant. But I think that if you had the choice of dying, waiting years for a transplant while practically living in the hospital, or getting a live-donor liver transplant, you would take the live-donor liver transplant. Everything has a risk factor, but I think the live-donor liver transplant has more positive than negative."

"But what about the chances of survival for the donor?" Joe asks. "I'm not doing this if there's any danger involved for my son. He's got too much going for him to risk his life for me."

"The results of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation throughout the world are excellent. At least 400 adult-to-adult living donor liver transplants have been performed in the United States, and several hundred more in other parts of the world. The living liver donors are hospitalized about a week after the operation and have only occasionally required a blood transfusion. Nevertheless, the donor operative procedure is a major operation and not without risk. Since you both have rare blood types, we will have to ship in an adequate supply for both of you, just in case. It is estimated that the risk to the liver donor's life is 0.5 to 1 percent. The donor is also at risk for temporary problems related to the surgical incision and the possibility of blood clots. The great majority of donors, however, have enjoyed a complete recovery within a few months of their operations, and tremendous satisfaction from giving a loved one their 'gift of life.'"

"Sounds pretty straight forward," Wheeler says.

"Sounds cheesy. What's this 'gift of life' BS? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You need to work on your sales pitch doc."

Linka chuckles softly, her future father in law just said exactly what she was thinking.

"Sorry Doc, my dad's a bit of a hard ass and doesn't get into sentimental stuff," Wheeler apologizes. "I, on the other hand, think it would be cool to give someone 'the gift of life.'"

"Oh for Pete's sake! All that work with the Planeteers has turned my boy into a wimpy hippy!...no offense Linka."

She waves her hand in dismissal and replies "None taken."

"Joseph, you need to take this more seriously. Jason is doing this for you!" Kathy admonishes.

"I'm sorry…when did we actually decided that he was going through with it? I'm pretty sure in order for him to be a donor, _**I **_have to be willing to be a recipient…and I'm not so sure I'm convinced it's worth the risk," Joe says.

Linka is relieved. She feels guilty, but if Joe doesn't want to go through with it, Wheeler is safe. On the other hand, can she, in good conscience, be happy knowing that her fiancé will have to watch his father slowly deteriorate and die, and her future mother in law would be alone in that big guest house while Wheeler and Linka were thousands of miles away on Hope Island.

"Do it."

All eyes suddenly turn to Linka, who hadn't been saying much other than when she was addressed.

"Linka, I know you mean well, but this doesn't concern you," Joe says.

"Yes, it does. I am going to marry your son. He wants to do this and if he does not, he will feel guilty for the rest of his life…and I have to live with that. I also have to live with watching how your illness and impending death affects him and Kathy. I do not want to see them suffer, just as I do not want to watch you die. If the doctor says the surgery has a high success rate and the risk to the donors life is only .5 to 1 percent, I would say those are pretty good odds. Do it. Do not give up. Your family needs you."

Joe pinches the bridge of his nose as he contemplates what to do.

"Honey…?" Kathy asks as she places her hand on his forearm.

Joe looks to Wheeler and asks "You sure about this?"

"Yeah Pop. I'm sure."

"And you?" he asks Linka.

"Da."

"Ok doc. We've got a wedding to plan…then we'll get back to you about this transplant thing," Joe says.

"Sounds good. Don't worry. You'll be happy you did this," the doctor says as he shake's Joe's hand.

The group leaves the room, two of them extremely happy, two of them extremely scared.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. For Better or Worse

**Chapter 3**

_For Better or Worse_

When they arrive back at the house, Linka goes straight upstairs. Wheeler makes a couple of sandwiches and takes them up to the bedroom. He doesn't find Linka there, but notices the bathroom door is shut.

"Hey Babe, I made grilled cheese sandwiches. Want one?"

"Nyet," she calls back to him.

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten since breakfast. Are you ok?"

"Fine. Just not hungry," she says as she exits the bathroom. "I think I am going to take a nap."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure."

Wheeler slides under the covers and holds her in his arms.

"Thank you."

"For what?" she asks.

"You know what. It meant alot, and I know it couldn't have been easy for you."

"It was not. But I know it was important to you and your mother."

"Well the good news is, now we can stop focusing on that for a while, and start focusing on this wedding of ours."

"Ok, but can we focus on it after I take a nap? I am beat," she says.

"Yeah, of course. Are you comin' down with something?"

"I do not think so. It has just been a long day."

"I hear ya. Gettin' up that early has wiped me out too."

They lay in silence for a few minutes. Wheeler thought she had fallen asleep when he heard her whisper,

"Promise me you will not leave me?"

"Now why would I go and do something stupid like that? I've been waiting my whole life for this. I'm coming back. Now, didn't I say we can STOP focusing on this transplant?"

"Wheeler...do you know...do you have any idea...how much I need you in my life?" she asks as she rolls over to face him.

"You have me," he says as he kisses her. "And I need you just as much."

She returns his kiss and deepens it, making her intentions clear. When they pull apart for air, Wheeler asks,

"What happened to being tired?"

"Second wind I guess," she replies as she places kisses down his neck and across his chest.

"Well, I'm not complaining!"

* * *

"Wow…that was…wow."

"Da."

"It's not just me right? I mean…that was…wow."

"You already said that. And nyet, it was not just you…it was…"

"Really, really good…like, the best ever."

"Da," Linka giggles.

"I mean, geez. I...I feel like...I don't know, like I should thank you."

Linka's giggles turn to full out laughter. "Well, as long as you do not feel like you have to pay me..."

Now it is Wheeler who is laughing,

"Did you just make a hooker joke? You really are turning into a true New Yorker!"

"I guess so. And as long as we are handing out 'Thank yous,' then I should thank you as well!"

"Oh yeah? Then in that case, you're very welcome," he says proudly as a huge smile spreads across his face.

"What do you want? Applause?"

"That's not necessary...I think an encore is in order though! Maybe a standing 'O!'"

"JASON JOSEPH WHEELER!!" she says as she smacks his stomach playfully.

"Ooomf. Hey! I didn't think you'd get that!"

"I have been here for a long time now. I am not the naive young Soviet who had a hard time grasping English cliches. You said it yourself, I am becoming a true New Yorker...at the expense of my own morals!"

"Well, I like it! But I'd still like to know what made this time so good. Nothing was different…unless maybe…"

"What?" she urges.

"Maybe there was a sense of urgency…like, we might not have much longer to do that."

"WHAT?!" she yells. Tears start to well up in her eyes. "WHY...?! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

"I didn't mean it like it was true or that it was gonna happen, but maybe subconsciously, that's what we were both thinking."

"That is _NOT_ what _I_ was thinking," Linka insists.

"You're missing my point, I said maybe **sub**consciously, you were."

"I am done talking about this. You have ruined a wonderful moment. I think I will take that nap now," she huffs, as she turns her back to him and pushes his arm off of her.

"Aww Geez. Are you serious? Babe, you can't go to bed mad. It's not good."

"I am not going to bed mad, I am just not as happy as I was 30 seconds ago. Now stop talking because I cannot sleep with your mouth running."

"Fine. But at least let me hold you?" he asks as he lays his arm back across her.

She doesn't say anything at first and lets him curl up behind her, but when he brushes her hair away from her neck and moves to kiss her there, she pulls away and throws his arm off her once again.

"It is too hot for you to be hanging all over me and breathing down my neck. Do you mind? I just want to sleep," she snaps.

"Fine" he relents as he pulls away to the opposite side of the bed, giving Linka as much room as possible.

* * *

Once Linka has fallen asleep, Wheeler slides out of bed and gathers his clothes. His mind is too busy trying to come up with an appropriate apology and he cannot fall to sleep. He gives Kwame a call and fills him in about the situation with his father's health, the impending surgery, and the speeding up of the wedding. Wheeler asks Kwame if he and the others minded coming to New York so they could have some input with the wedding planning and get fitted for tuxedos and a dress. They are excited and happy to make the trip, but Kwame expresses his concern over Mr. Wheeler's health and Wheeler's. Wheeler reassures him that everything will be ok and asks Kwame to let Gaia know. Even though he and Linka plan on talking to her and discussing the details when they get back, they wanted her to be prepared, although, they have a feeling that the Spirit of the Earth already knows what is going on.

Once he finishes talking to Kwame, he decides to go over to his parent's place to visit with them. When he gets there, he finds that it is just his dad sitting in the living room with Mindy in his lap.

"Hey Pop, mind some company?"

"Of course not. Have a seat. Your mother went shopping to get some stuff to make spaghetti for dinner. Are you and Linka still going to be here?"

"Yeah, but Gi, Ma-Ti, and Kwame are on their way. Do you think I should go to the store and get more stuff for dinner? I didn't know Ma was planning on making dinner or I would have let her know more people were coming. We were going to take a trip into the city, probably tomorrow, to get some stuff for the wedding. Bridesmaid dresses, her dress, my tux…you up for that? I could use your help."

"Sure. The ladies can do their thing and we can do ours…it'll only take us a few minutes…they'll be gone for hours! And don't worry about the extra mouths to feed. Your Ma always makes too much. When she's cooking for two, she makes enough for four. So now that she's cooking for four, she'll make enough for eight!" Joe says.

"Cool. I need to get myself a wedding band too at some point tomorrow. Is that something that Linka and I should do together?"

"Usually, but she's already got her ring. And it just so happens that I have the one that goes with it."

"What do you mean?" Wheeler asks.

"I have your grandfather's ring. It was with your Gram's wedding band and engagement ring. I figured if she wanted you to have her rings to give to someone special, she'd also meant for you to have your Pap's wedding ring to go with it. If Linka is going to have your grandmother's ring, it's only right that you would have your grandfather's. I was planning on asking you if you wanted to use it once the wedding plans got underway."

"Of course!" Wheeler exclaims. "Like you said, it's only right that we would keep Gram and Pap's rings together. That's so cool."

"I'll go get it. Here," Joe says as he sets the puppy in Wheeler's lap.

A few minutes later, Joe returns with a ring box and hands it to Wheeler. He opens it up, takes out the platinum band, and examines it. He tries it on and looks at his hand.

"Perfect fit…wow, that's gonna take some getting used to! Looks weird don't it?"

"Yeah, it'll take some getting used to. But the plus side is, every time you see it, or feel it, you'll think of why you have it on, and realize how lucky you are."

"Yeah…but I don't need a ring to tell me that! I think about it all the time."

"You really have it bad don't ya?" Joe asks.

"Crazy about her."

"So what're ya doin' over here?!"

"She's taking a nap…and I kinda pissed her off earlier. Said something stupid and insensitive about the upcoming surgery. I didn't mean for it to hurt her, but I guess I didn't think about how she would interpret it before I spoke. I should be used to that by now."

"Misunderstandings are a part of every relationship. You both just need to be mature about it and don't stay mad," Joe advises.

"Believe me, Linka and I have had our fair share of misunderstandings and fights in the past. We always get over it and never stay mad for long. And usually it's her that gets mad at me…and most times, I have no clue what I did! That's just how she is, I know it, and I love it. Is that weird? I like it that she gets mad at me, and I'll admit, I used to do things intentionally to get under her skin. I guess it was just my way of knowing that I had her attention. It hasn't been like that recently though. I mean, since we've been reunited, it's been all good…minus that first night when I said I never wanted to see her again."

Joe raised his eyebrows, surprised to hear this. Wheeler continues,

"I didn't mean it, of course. I was just mad. And everything's been great since then. Better than great."

"Was your argument today as bad as that first night?" Joe asks.

"Not even close!"

"And things worked out for the best then, right?"

"Yeah, but it was a little different. I was the one that was mad at her, but I knew I couldn't stay mad. As soon as she tried to apologize, as hard as I tried to get away from her and not let her, I couldn't. She apologized and I've loved her for so long, I knew I could never stay mad at her. But now she's mad at me and I'm the one that's gotta get back on her good side. Linka's stubborn. She gets mad and stays mad for a while."

"But she loves you. And if she loves you half as much as you love her, this will all blow over by the end of the night. You've got a wedding to plan after all!"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for listening Pop."

"I'm just glad you felt you could talk to me about this sort of stuff. This is how it always should have been. I should have always been the one you'd come to with girl problems," Joe says sadly as he looks down.

"What's important is that you're here now, when it matters…helping me with problems with the only girl that matters," Wheeler says as he reassuringly grasps his dad's forearm.

"Thanks, son. One more piece of advice…think of a good apology. Even if you don't think you did anything wrong, you'll learn that it's just easier to suck it up and take the blame. The sooner you realize that, the better. It took me over 30 years of marriage to figure that out. I wonder why your grandpa didn't give me any good advice like this!"

"Were you a bad kid? Maybe it was punishment?" Wheeler joked.

"Possibly," Joe laughs. "Well, I promised your mother I'd get the table ready for dinner. And _YOU'VE_ got some serious ass kissing to think about!"

"I'll work on it. Can I bring anything for dinner tonight?"

"You still remember how to make those garlic bread sticks that your Ma's mom used to make?"

"Absolutely! It's the only thing the others will let me cook!"

"Bring those then."

When Linka wakes up, she's not surprised to find that Wheeler is not there. She regrets having reacted the way that she did. Now was not a time to be fighting. She gets dressed and goes to look for Wheeler. When she exits the bedroom, she hears the sound of typing coming from her office down the hall. She follows the sound and leans against the doorway. When he doesn't notice her presence, she clears her throat to get his attention. He turns around in surprise.

"Oh. Hey. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Da…and nyet. I feel re-energized, but it would have been nicer if I woke up in your arms," she confesses, attempting to clear the air between them. "When I woke up and you weren't there, I was worried I had finally crossed the line and driven you away."

"Sorry. You'll have to try harder than that to get rid of me! I just couldn't sleep after our little…issue."

"Then I am the one that is sorry," she says, stepping further into the room. "I was the one that made such a big deal out of nothing."

"If it bothered you, then it's not 'nothing.' I didn't mean to upset you. I'd never do that intentionally. From now on, no more making light of the surgery situation, I promise."

"Ok. And I know you deal with things by trying to make them humorous, but I am sorry. I can not see the humor in this operation."

"I know. I'll try to be more sensitive about that. I'm scared too ya know?"

"You are?"

"Hell yeah! This ain't no wisdom teeth extraction. I'm losin' half my liver!" he says.

"At least it'll grow back."

"Yeah, how freaky is that? Kinda cool how that works."

"Da. And I was surprised to hear that it only took two to eight weeks for it to grow back!"

"I wonder what the Planeteers will do while I'm out re-growing my liver?"

"I guess we will have to discuss finding temporary replacements with Gaia," Linka suggests.

"Replacement**S**? As in plural?"

"Da. I am not leaving you alone. Someone will have to take care of you," she says as she walks up to him and ruffles his hair.

When she gets close to him, he minimizes the screen on the computer.

"So what are you doing in here? Writing the next great novel?" She asks.

"Well, I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of all the things I wanted to say to you to let you know how sorry I was and how much you mean to me…and everything I kept coming up with sounded more like wedding vows than an apology…so I decided to write my own vows."

"Oh Wheeler," Linka chuckles as she puts her arm around him and draws him towards her.

"What? You think it's stupid? Kinda cheesy, I know but..."

"Nyet, of course not. I was laughing because I started writing my own vows too! A few days after you proposed actually!" she admits. "Who says we are complete opposites?!"

"Haha! Great minds think alike."

"Speaking of thinking, perhaps we should start thinking of a date. I would like to give Mishka some advance notice so he can make arrangements for time off from work."

"How about 3 Saturdays from now?" he suggests.

"So soon?!"

"Not soon enough," he says as he stands up and holds her in his arms.

"I agree. It just seems that we still have so much to do."

"Well, I've got one less thing we need to do…I've got my wedding band."

"Oh," she says quietly as she looks away from him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just thought I would be with you when you chose it."

"I didn't choose it. It was chosen for me. My dad gave it to me. It used to be my Grandpa Wheeler's."

"And my engagement ring and wedding band I will be wearing used to belong to your Grandma Wheeler?" she clarifies.

"Yeah."

"That is very appropriate. Those rings belong together."

"Just like we do," he says as he leans his forehead against hers before lowering his head to brush his lips against hers.

"Mmm hmm," she hums against his lips.

Wheeler attempts to take things further, but Linka reluctantly stops him.

"I **have** to call Mishka before it gets too late over there."

"Later?" he asks hopefully.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?!" he asks taken aback.

"Da, maybe. Or maybe we should wait until after the wedding. It might make the wedding night a little more special because of the anticipation," she proposes. "It would be the traditional way…sort of old fashioned."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so. Babe, if you want old fashioned, I'll dress up like George Washington!"

She looks at him and shakes her head. "You know that is not what I meant."

"Umm, how about one week?"

"You want to get married in one week now?! No. That is not possible to put together."

"No, the wedding is still in three weeks, but the waiting part…let's start that a week before," he suggests as he pulls her against him and nuzzles her neck.

"Wheeeeeeeelerrrrrrr," she purrs. "Nyet," she says as she puts her hand on his chest and pushes him away.

"I'll get you. You won't last. I'll get to you. You won't be able to resist my charms!"

"We shall see," she says as she takes a step backwards, towards the door. "I am going to call my brother. You keep working on those vows." She is halfway out the door when she turns and says "And if you recall, I had no trouble resisting your so-called 'charms' for **YEARS**. A few weeks will not be a problem!"

"Yeah, but that was _before_ you knew what you were missing out on!" he calls out to her retreating form.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Start Spreading the News

**Chapter 4**

Linka heads downstairs to call her brother. She switches her brain from "English Mode" to "Russian Mode," as she prepares to speak to her brother for the first time since telling him she was engaged. She fondly recalls that conversation and how surprised, happy, and excited he was for her.

**Seven months earlier…**

"_Hello big brother!"_

"_Linka! This is a pleasant surprise. Is everything alright?" he ask, suddenly concerned by the unexpectedness of her call._

"_Yes, everything is fine. I am calling because I have news."_

"_You are moving back home?!" he asked hopefully._

"_No, sorry."_

"_I figured. I have lost my sister to New York," he teased._

"_You will never lose me. I am moving though."_

"_Where? Closer I hope."_

"_Probably about the same distance. I am going back to the Planeteers."_

"_Really? That is sudden. I do not understand, I thought the music teaching computer program making and selling was doing well. Why give that up?"_

"_I am not giving it up. It will be a few years before it is due for an upgrade._ _Gaia asked us to come back. The kids she got to replace us are now getting the same opportunity that the original Planeteers had to pursue a higher education," she explained._

"_So why not find a third generation of new Planeteers?"_

"_She tried. She could not find anyone suitable enough in such a short amount of time."_

"_So are __**ALL**__ of the former Planeteers coming back?" he asked._

"_Yes, we are __**ALL**__ back," she said, knowing exactly what he was getting at._

"_So Wheeler…he knows now that you were in New York this whole time?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I assume he did not take it well?"_

"_No. He took it quite badly actually. It was not pleasant."_

"_Are you ok?" he asked._

"_It took much explaining, but we resolved things. Things are fine between us."_

"_That is good. For both of you. He seemed like a nice guy, you told me he was, and I would hate to see a good friendship ruined. Although, I can see why he would be upset with you. I still do not understand your reasons for not letting him know you were in New York, even though you have explained it to me a million times."_

"_Ah Mishka," she sighed. "Sometimes I do not understand it either. What's done is done though."_

"_This return to the Planeteers…I assume it's only temporary until replacements are found? So, what do you think the future holds for you?"_

"_I do not know the length of my current duty with the Planeteers; however, my future has a little more certainty. Which is another reason why I am calling...I am getting married."_

"_What? To whom? I did not know you were seeing anyone seriously. What if I do not approve of him?" He teased._

"_I think that you will approve…I believe your exact words were that you thought he was 'a great guy,' years ago."_

"_Is it…Wheeler?!"_

"_Yes."_

"_Really? After all those years of being apart? Now after just a few days of being reunited, suddenly you are ready to marry him? It is not like you to be impulsive."_

"_I know. But when you know something is right, why wait? Besides, we have already wasted so much time, do you not agree?"_

"_Yes, of course. I always thought he was the one you were meant to be with. I just did not know how to tell you. In your letters, you always spoke so fondly of him, and after I saw the lengths he went to in order to save you and help Grandma, I knew he was worthy of my sister and that he loved you deeply. I could never figure out why if __**I **__could see it, why could __**YOU **__not see it?"_

"_You are not alone. Many people wondered that same thing. And who says I did not see it? Do you all think I am stupid? Of course I saw it! It scared me to death. I had no idea how to respond to it. No one has ever been so forthcoming about their feelings for me as Wheeler has, and I had never liked anyone enough to express an interest in them. Wheeler was so direct about how he felt, I was not sure how to react. I was attracted to him, but did not want to seem too willing to be with him. I did not want to seem like he had 'won me over' so easily. But then I had given the impression that I was not interested, so in order to not seem like a weak, silly girl who caves into flirtations, I had to keep up that impression."_

"_Oh Linka. You have ALWAYS been SO stubborn and bull headed. Looks like it finally backfired on you!"_

"_Yes, it did…but now it has worked out for the best, and I could not be happier."_

"_And I am happy for you. Please keep me informed as to where and when. I will be there," Mishka says._

_"Thank you. I will talk to you soon. Love you."_

"_Love you too."_

* * *

Linka excitedly dials the phone, anxious to tell her big brother that a date has been set.

"Hello?"

"I know it is getting late, but I hope it is not too late for you to get a call from your favorite little sister!" she says.

"Linka! I will always have time for you, no matter how late it is! How are you?"

"Good, and you?"

"I am doing well. Even better hearing from you. I am assuming you have news?"

"What are you doing in three weeks?" she asks.

"Hopefully I will be attending my little sister's wedding…am I right?"

"Yes, you are. Actually, not only will you be attending, I was hoping that you would give me away," Linka says.

"Of course! I will be honored. It will be hard letting go of my little sister, but at least I know a good man will be taking care of her."

"Silly, you have not had to take care of me for 10 years! You let go a long time ago!"

"I know, but now it is official. And just to make it clear, I will never fully let go!" he says.

"I know you will not! We were hoping that the family members could come a few days before the ceremony, make something of a vacation out of it, get to know one another, you know? We would come get you with the Geo Cruiser whatever day you decide to come. I realize it is a long trip, so I do not expect you to bring Svetlana and the kids, but if you think they would like to be there, I would love it if they came. I have not spoken to Wheeler about it, and I am sure he would agree, but perhaps Illyana and Alexei can be flower girl and ring bearer?"

"And I am sure they would love to be there and the children would be honored to be involved in their Aunt Linka's wedding if it is ok with _**Uncle**_ Wheeler. It will be a nice vacation; the children have never been to the beach before…I am assuming you are still having it on Hope Island?"

"Yes. I am so excited to have you all there! I cannot wait to see you!" Linka exclaims.

"And we cannot wait to see you. I will talk to Sveta and get back to you on when we will arrive."

"Great! What the…? Is that…? Mishka, I have to go!"

Just then, Wheeler came running down the stairs, jumping from the final few and sliding to a halt in the kitchen.

"Hey Babe, did I tell you the others were on their way here?"

"Nyet!"

"Well…they are," he says just as the Eco Copter touches down in the back yard.

"Da, I noticed! Wheeler?! I do not have any food for them to eat, I did not clean up the house, I did not wash the linens for the guest room beds…"

"Sorry! Remember how we talked about having them come up and get some of the wedding stuff like tuxes and dresses done?"

"Da."

"Well, when you were sleeping, I called them to see if they'd come up here today."

"Why today, the day is half over? We will hardly have any time to do anything. And I am sure they are tired from the flight…"

"I wanted to hurry up and get them up here just incase you were so mad, you didn't want to go through with it. The extra pressure of having our friends around might change your mind!"

"Bozhe moy. Do not be silly. **NOTHING** could make me change my mind," she says as she kisses him before walking out the back door to greet their friends, with Wheeler following close behind.

"Hello!" she calls to them. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Oh my, Linka! This is beautiful," Gi gushes. "I want a full tour!"

"Me too!" Ma-Ti shouts.

"As do I," Kwame adds.

"Yes, of course. How about we first show you to your rooms so you can put your stuff away. We only have two guest rooms, so you'll have to fight over who gets those and who gets the futon on the loft."

"I'll take the futon. I'm the smallest, now that Ma-Ti is all grown up!" Gi says, never missing the opportunity to tease Ma-Ti by pointing out how much he has changed.

Linka and Wheeler show the others to their rooms and then give them a quick tour.

"This is amazing Linka. You have a lovely place. Sure beats the little brownstone I had in DC," Kwame says.

"Ha! Do not complain Kwame. Your place was much nicer than the little one story home I shared with some of the other interns," Ma-Ti adds.

"Nah, my studio apartment in the middle of Manhattan takes the cake for lamest living quarters. I'm definitely marrying up!"

"Ahh, now the truth comes out…Wheeler saw Linka's house, _THEN_ he proposed!" Gi jokes.

"Aw man, busted," Wheeler jokingly confesses. "Hey, my Ma's making dinner for us. We should probably head over there in about 45 minutes…in the mean time, if you'll excuse me, I've got garlic bread sticks to make!"

"Outstanding! I love Wheeler's garlic bread sticks!" Kwame says.

"Yes, those were one of the foods that I missed the most when we moved away," Ma-Ti adds.

* * *

At dinner, they all discuss their plans for tomorrow. Kathy has a few ideas of dress shops that the girls should stop at to find their dresses as well as a tuxedo place close by that the men should go to, plus bakeries that are known for their delicious cakes. They bid each other good night and the younger crowd goes back to Linka's place for the night. They go straight to bed so they can get an early start the following day.

* * *

To be continued...

Sorry, nothing exciting going on in that one. Gotta build up to the good stuff though (maybe 2 chapters from now) and after the good stuff, it gets BETTER!


	5. The Wedding Plannerteers

A/N: Kinda mad right now. I just edited this chapter and when I clicked "save", it says I need to be logged in to do that...I WAS LOGGED IN!! So I lost all the changes I made. Now I've got to re-do it all...I hope I can remember everything!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_The Wedding Planner-teers_

The next morning, the girls and guys take a bus into the city. Two of Linka's college friends, Sophie and Niki, meet them there and she introduces them to the others. Wheeler's friend, Officer Jacob Petrosky, will be meeting the guys later at the tuxedo shop. The group parts ways on 5th Avenue, agreeing to meet up later for lunch.

"Wow Linka! He's adorable! No wonder you wouldn't go out with other guys in college. There's no way anyone could live up to the expectations of that hottie!" Sophie gushes.

"See Soph, I told you she wasn't a lesbo!" Niki jokes.

"Thank you…I think. Or maybe Kathy should be the one thanking you…she's half responsible for him being a 'hottie' as you say."

"Right. Good job Mrs. Wheeler!" the girls all laugh.

"Thank you, but all that I care about is that he's a good boy. I'm very proud of the man he turned out to be…not to mention, he has excellent taste!" She says as she puts her arm around Linka. "What more could a mother ask for?"

"He doesn't have any brothers does he?" Niki asks playfully.

"Sorry dear. He's my one and only."

"Darn."

"Wait until you meet his friend Jake. He used to be an officer with the NYPD, but when Wheeler left, he was promoted to fill Wheeler's position as detective. I've only met him once, but he seems like a nice guy…cute too."

"I call him!" Niki yells as she jokingly smacks Sophie's arm.

At the bridal boutique, Linka decides that for the bridesmaid's dresses, she was going to let the girls pick out whatever style they were most comfortable with wearing, as long as they were all the same color, navy blue. That was the easy part. Each girl found the dress they wanted and were fitted for it. Even Kathy found a mother of the groom dress. Linka was worried that finding a wedding dress would be hard, however, it only took a few dresses until she saw 'the one.'

"This one!" she said in awe as she held it up.

"Oh Linka, it's beautiful!" Gi says.

"Try it on dear!" Kathy urges.

A few moments later, Linka steps out of the dressing room looking so perfect in her dress. It's simple yet elegant, perfect for a beach wedding. Linka's three friends squeal with delight. Kathy covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh sweetie. It's absolutely perfect. You look gorgeous!" Kathy says as she walks up behind Linka and meets her eyes in the mirror.

Linka's eyes are also filling with tears, but her face shows sadness.

"Are you ok Linka?" Gi asks.

"I was just thinking about my mother and grandmother. Wishing they were here. Wondering what they would think…"

"They would be thinking the same thing we all are dear," Kathy says as she hugs Linka, "that this dress was made for you and that you make a beautiful bride. I may not have known them, but I know how mothers think...that maternal instinct...They would be so happy for you, so proud of your success and all the wonderful things you've done. Linka, you are a wonderful person and they played a major role in making the woman you are today. They would be so happy if they were here now...Look at what seeing you has done to me…I'm not even your mother and seeing you like this has brought me to tears!"

"You are not even my mother…yet!" Linka points out happily. "I do not think I could have asked for a better mother in law. You have made me feel welcome and a part of your family from the first day we met, even before it was made '_official_.' Thank you."

"You made it easy to love you like a daughter…and I do. I am so happy my son has you."

"And I am so happy to have your son. He has brought so much good to my life, and that includes you and Joe."

Now both women are crying. Linka and Kathy embrace until their tears subside. Kathy pulls out a pack of tissues from her purse and wipes away Linka's tears. Linka smiles in appreciation of her future mother in law's tenderness.

Gi and the other girls looked at each other and smiled, extremely happy for their friend, and truly touched by the loving scene before them.

"Aww, GROUP HUG!" Sophie yells as they all converge on Linka and Kathy.

The overly emotional group of girls make arrangements to have their dresses tailored and ready to be picked up before the wedding. Once they paid, it was time to meet the guys for lunch.

Not surprisingly, the boys had finished before the girls and were waiting for them on the same corner where they'd parted ways a few hours earlier.

"So did you get everything done? All the dresses picked out and all that?" Wheeler asks as he leans down to greet Linka with a quick peck on the lips.

"Da. All done."

"Hey, are you okay?" Wheeler asks as he puts his hands on Linka's arms and stands back to look at her. "You look like you've been crying!"

"I was."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"We were all crying dear," Kathy says.

"Oh my God, Ma. You too?" Wheeler says as he takes note of his mother's red eyes. "What happened?"

"It is nothing. I found a dress," Linka explains.

"It's not just **A **dress," Niki says.

"It's **THE** dress," adds Sophie.

"Oh my gosh Wheeler I cannot WAIT to see the look on your face when you see Linka!" Gi says excitedly.

"And I can't wait to see her. You guys are gonna have to slap me upside the head or something if I can't manage to get that goofy grin off my face!"

"I volunteer to take the first shot!" says a young blonde haired, blue eyed man walking up behind them.

"What a pal! Babe, you remember Petrosky right?"

"Da. Nice seeing you again…DETECTIVE."

"Thank you! Same to you, and unless I'm interrogating you, you can just call me Jacob, or Jake. Whichever comes out first."

"This is my Ma, our friend Gi, and these are friends of Linka's from college, Sophie and…"

"Niki. Hi, nice to meet you," she says as she extends her hand to the handsome young detective.

"You too," he says with a smile. "Uh…all of you," he remembers to add, although he's obviously interested in the beautiful blue eyed brunette in front of him.

"So where do we want to eat?" Linka asks.

"McFADDEN'S!!" Sophie and Niki exclaim.

"It is a little early to start drinking, nyet?"

Niki and Sophie look at each other, then back at Linka and answer simultaneously, "NYET!"

The others are amused by Linka's friends because they are so unlike her. Or maybe not. Maybe Linka was a different person in college than the person they knew as a teenager. Or maybe they just chalk it up to the fact that every clique has to have a level headed, responsible member. Clearly Linka fulfills that role.

"Besides, McFadden's is a pretty nice restaurant during the day. The bar scene doesn't pick up until night," Niki says.

"Not that you'd know Link!" Sophie points out.

Linka rolls her eyes then shakes her head. She turns to the others and rats out her college roommates. "You should have seen our apartment! Every drinking glass we had came from a bar in New York, thanks to these two and their thievery!"

"HEY! It was one less glass they needed to wash that night! We did them a favor!" Niki rationalizes.

"Yeah, and because they didn't have to wash those glasses, that was less water they had to use! We were just doing our part to save the planet. You got a problem with that Planeteer?!" Sophie jokes as she and Niki laugh.

"Oh yeah, here we go. Making fun of me for being a Planeteer…that NEVER gets old," Linka says, rolling her eyes.

"You too Babe?" Wheeler asks, "This guy here used to bust my balls…Err, I mean chops…!" Wheeler says, remembering his parents are there. "…All the time for being a Planeteer," he says as he points to Jake.

"Hey, these two just confessed to stealing, perhaps you should arrest them Jake?" Linka suggests jokingly.

Niki turns around, puts her hands behind her back, and crosses her wrists, "Cuff me!" she says over her shoulder.

"Don't do it! She'll like it too much!" Sophie teases.

"Uuuh, I don't wanna point out the obvious, but she's pretty familiar with the cuffing procedure! Have you been arrested before?" Wheeler laughs.

"I was a theater major! I watched TV all day and went out all night."

"Sounds like your kind of girl huh, Yankee?" Linka says as she links her arm with his.

"Yeah, we'll get along just fine! Hey Petrosky, don't you like TV and going out all night?" Wheeler asks.

"Why yes, yes I do."

"Well, how about that. You two should talk." Once Wheeler is convinced that he's successfully played matchmaker, he makes a suggestion.

"Why don't we skip lunch?"

Everyone stops what they are doing and stares at him in shock.

"Wheeler, in all the years I have known you, I do not think you have ever missed a meal!" Ma-Ti says.

"Oh, I'm not missing a meal. I'm saying let's forget lunch and go straight to the bakery to try out types of cake. If we eat lunch, we won't have room for dessert!"

"I hate to admit it, but that actually makes sense," Linka says. "Where are we going?"

"Why don't we try Bruno's Bakery," Kathy suggests.

"YES!" The three NYU alumnae say in unison with the current and former NYPD detectives.

"I take it you kids have heard of it before?"

"When the bars closed, the next stop was Bruno's for lattes and strawberry danishes!" Sophie explained.

"And I couldn't start my day without a cup of coffee and a cream filled donut," Wheeler admits.

"And to show Linka that we were thinking about her while she studied her ass off, while we partied ours off, we'd bring her home a green tea and blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese," Niki says.

"That is why we are still friends!" Linka jokes.

* * *

The trip to the bakery was a success. They found and ordered a cake that would feed all of their guest, but also be easy to transport from New York to Hope Island. They even offered to have one of their bakers come to the island to prepare the cake there…for a mere extra five thousand dollars! The happy couple politely declined…sort of.

"I believe my exact words were 'screw that, I'll make a hundred cupcakes out of a box mix before I pay that much money for a baker!'" Wheeler said from his place at the dinner table.

"Nyet, you did not say 'screw that,' and there were a few other questionable adjectives used to describe the cupcakes and the baker!"

"You call them questionable, I call them accurate!" Wheeler jokes as the others laugh.

After a long afternoon of shopping, ordering, and eating a lovely dinner at Wheeler and Linka's, Kathy and Joe went back to their house and left the younger crowd to themselves. Jake drove Sophie and Niki back to the city, probably for a night of bar hopping. This left the Planeteers to a relaxing evening of hanging out and winding down.

They all ended up downstairs in the game room where Linka was watching Gi and Kwame play pool while Wheeler and Ma-Ti played video games. Some things never change!

"Yo Babe, you wanna play the winner of this game?"

"Nyet. It would not be fair. I would be better matched against the loser! I am not good at those things. Too many buttons on the controllers. What ever happened to the simple ones?!"

"What about pool? Would you like to play next?" Kwame asks.

"I am afraid that I am just as bad at pool. These are Wheeler's toys. But if you all do not mind, I am going to excuse myself. I have something I would like to work on while I am home and have the time."

"Sure, don't let us hold you up!" Gi says.

"Yes Linka, you have been a great hostess, but you do not need to entertain us. Wheeler can handle being the entertainment! You have got so much to do and not very much time to do it in. Do what you need to do."

"Geez Ma-Ti, do ya hafta remind her?!" Wheeler jokes. "She's already freaking out."

"We should probably be getting back to Hope Island soon. Will you two be joining us?"

"We will be returning tomorrow," Linka says on her way up the stairs.

Linka goes upstairs to the loft where her piano and recording equipment are. She sets up some equipment, pulls out an old beat up folder of handwritten sheet music, sits down at her piano, and beings to play.

The others can hear her music from downstairs.

"What is she playing?" Ma-Ti asks.

"I don't know. I've never heard it before," Gi says.

"Yeah, that's pretty normal for me. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, I can't tell one from the other. I recognize the more popular ones, but couldn't tell ya who wrote 'em!"

* * *

After Wheeler and Ma-Ti finished their game and Kwame had beaten Gi at pool, the three visiting Planeteers decided it was time for them to get going.

"I'll go tell Linka you're ready to leave so she can come say goodbye."

"No, do not bother her. She is busy," Ma-Ti says.

"It's been quiet up there for a while. Wonder what she's doing now?" Wheeler asks.

"Just tell her that we said goodbye and that we'll see her tomorrow once you get back to the island," Kwame says.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get her? She'll be mad at me for not letting her know you were leaving."

"Well, you didn't tell her we were coming…why should you tell her when we're leaving!" Gi jokes.

"Good point! I'll use that one! You guys have a safe flight back, and we'll see ya tomorrow," Wheeler says as he walks them out to the Eco-Copter.

After waving goodbye to his friends, Wheeler heads upstairs and finds Linka sitting at her desk.

"Hey Babe, I'm going to bed, you almost done there?"

When she doesn't answer, he walks up behind her and notices she's got on headphones. He speaks a little louder.

"Linka, are you ready to go to bed?"

Still no answer.

He leans around to look at her face and sees that her eyes are closed. She's asleep, pencil and paper in hand. He gently removes the headphones and sets them on the desk. He turns off all her equipment, hoping that he isn't ruining anything. He slides his arms under her legs and behind her back to lift her out of the chair and carry her to the bedroom.

She begins to stir and slowly opens her eyes. Once she realizes what's going on, she rests her head on his shoulder, snuggles against him, and whispers "thank you," against his neck.

Wheeler carefully steers her through the doorway and lays her on the bed. He goes to the closet to retrieve a nightgown for her. He considers just letting her sleep in her clothes, and not risk disturbing her any further, but then reconsiders, thinking that she will eventually wake up in the middle of the night, hot and uncomfortable.

He pulls off her shoes and socks first, that's the easy part. The rest is going to be difficult, not just maneuvering her, but also keeping his hormones in check and respecting her wishes to hold off on any future encounters until their wedding night. "When I find the idiot that put that idea in her head, I'm gonna kill 'em," he sighs. "Stupid."

Wheeler begins by unbuttoning her blouse and pushing it off her shoulders. He then gently lifts her head and pulls the silky nightgown over it, pulling her arms up, and putting them through the thin spaghetti straps, one at a time. He carefully sits her up and lets the material fall down her torso, covering her up. He lays her back down and she mumbles something.

"Shh, it's ok. I got this. Stay asleep," he says as he places a soft kiss on her lips. Now all he has to do is get her shorts off.

"Oh God," he sighs while thinking of unattractive things. Sly Sludge's dirty, greasy hair; Hoggish Greedly stuffing his face full of a plate of raw fish; Dr. Blight's disfigured face; Blight and Greedly doin' it. "Aw, sick! Well, that did it!" he mutters to himself as he slides her shorts down off her legs, but not being able to resist the urge to trail his fingers down her calves.

Once he has her tucked under the sheets, he begins getting himself ready for bed and then climbs in next to her, smoothing the hair away from her face and kissing her temple.

"You forgot the bra," she murmurs.

"Huh?"

"You did not take it off."

"And there's no way I was going to! I couldn't possibly manage that and keep my sanity…wait a minute…were you awake the whole time?!"

"Da," she says with a mischievous smile.

"That's just cruel Babe!"

"I tried to stay asleep, but I was enjoying it too much. It was so sweet of you to put me to bed. How did I get so lucky?" she asks.

"That's my line. I'm the lucky one."

"I mean it Wheeler, you are so good to me."

"You make it easy. I just wanna make you happy."

"You do," she says as she presses her lips to his. "Very happy. Goodnight Lyubov moya."

"Goodnight Babe."

* * *

To be continued...I know, I'm dragging it out! There's alot involved in planning a wedding! The next chapter will make up for the slow stuff, it's not the big event, but it surprised even me! I may have to change the rating on this one! Not sure. I won't make you wait long, I'll be posting it right after I post this one.


	6. Irresistible

A/N: I don't really think it warrants a rating change because there's no details, but it is suggestive, so just to be safe, this is rated M. No one's forcing you to read this, so if you're a total prude and easily offended, skip this one...and why are you reading a romance fanfic?! And I highly doubt anyone under the age of 18 is reading this anyways since they wouldn't know who Captain Planet is anways!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Irresistible_

Wheeler woke up the next morning and squeezes the object in his arms and places a kiss on the first part that his lips touch…and then he realizes he is kissing a pillow. He opens his eyes and searches the room for the object of his affection. Once he realizes she's not there, he stretches out and looks at the clock. "I guess it's time to get up."

The sound of music alerts him to where and what Linka is doing.

"Sounds like she's at it again," he says aloud to himself.

He goes down the hallway to the loft and sees Linka is sitting at her keyboard which is hooked up to what he can only assume is a recording device. He quietly sits down on the futon.

"Good morning Yankee. I did not wake you did I?" she says as she continues to play.

"No. I woke up on my own. Aren't you recording? Is it ok to talk?"

"Da, it only picks up what is being played on the keyboard."

"And you can play and talk at the same time and not miss a thing! Impressive."

"Years of practice. Plus I have these pieces memorized; I could play them in my sleep."

"What exactly are you doing anyways?"

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, but it is kind of hard to do when you're in the same house…so, I am recording music to be played before the ceremony…you know, as the guests are arriving and before the bridal procession. Since we do not have anyone else to play music, I am recording it ahead of time."

"Cool idea. So are these like, church songs or classical, or what? No one recognized them last night when we heard you playing…oh by the way, the others said to tell you goodbye!"

"I was surprised to find that they were not here this morning! I feel bad for not saying goodbye."

"I was gonna come get you, but they said to leave you alone, but when I came up here, you were asleep anyways," he explains.

"Long day I guess. I was beat. These last few weeks have been so hectic with work, hospital visits, and now wedding planning…I feel like I am forgetting to do something, but can't think of what it is."

"It's probably nothing, just feels like it."

"Da, I guess…as for the songs, I am glad you asked…Remember our first night back on Hope Island, after that horrible fight, when I took you for a walk to explain, we ended up on the cliff?"

"Of course. _YOUR_ cliff that overlooked _MY_ lagoon."

"Da. _MY_ cliff where I would go to watch the birds and compose music…and watch a certain Yankee in _HIS _lagoon. And remember how you said that you would listen to me play, thinking that I didn't know you were there, but I knew, and I said that you inspired many of the melodies that I came up with?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what you have been hearing, those are the songs."

"No way!"

"And now, they will be played at our wedding," she says as she finishes up the song and stops the recording device.

"That is AWESOME!"

Linka hands him the thick folder filled with sheet music that she had written.

"Whoa, how many are there?"

"Probably 20 to 30 that I did while we were Planeteers, then 15 to 20 that I did while we were apart."

"Damn Babe! I had no idea! Do these songs have words?"

"Da, but they are in Russian and do not translate so nicely to English, alot is lost in the translation, but I can promise you, it is all very good! The ones from when we were apart are pretty sad though, but really helped me get through it."

"Even though I won't understand the words, will you sing them for me sometime?" he says as he stands up, goes to her, and pulls her up in his arms.

"Sometime, da."

"No one's ever written a song for me before, let alone almost 50!"

"You are definitely inspiring…but many of those songs were based on frustration too!"

"Well, that just comes with the territory!" he jokes. "I have an idea…I know we were planning on having the ceremony on the beach, but why don't we have the ceremony on _YOUR_ cliff, overlooking _MY_ lagoon? After all, we had our first real kiss on top of the cliff, and then our first…you know…at the lagoon."

"That sounds wonderful and romantic, but then your lagoon will no longer be a secret and we will lose '_our place_.' If the others know about it, they could show up anytime and what if we are there…"

"Let 'em. We won't be there much longer anyways right?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long do you plan on being a Planeteer?"

"I do not know. As long as you are, I guess. Have you been thinking about it?"

"Look at this life you have now. We gotta get back to reality sometime. I called Captain Thomas to extend an invitation to him to the wedding and he said that he'd definitely be there. He also let me know how grateful he is to us for forcing him to make that doctor's appointment, and since they caught the cancer early, he's gonna be fine. He told me that anytime I'm ready for that job with the Feds, to let him know and he'd get his buddy to hire me. Eventually we're gonna wanna start a family and we can't do that as Planeteers. You can't go on missions and I'm not gonna wanna leave your side. And once we do have kids, we can't just leave them on the island while we go fight crime."

"Da, but that is a long way off! You are the one that is 'anti-children!'"

"I am not! I just don't want alot. That dream I had still freaks me out!"

"Why are we talking about this anyways! It is so far off. We promised Gaia that we would come back and help her out for as long as she needed us. We cannot leave until she has found new Planeteers anyways…and now that we are all back, I doubt she is even still looking."

"Don't get me wrong, I love being a Planeteer. I'm so proud that Gaia chose me...but when she asked me to come back, I only came back for one reason...you. I had to see you. I didn't know how things were going to turn out, if you'd moved on, if you were even going to re-join the group, but I had to come back to see what you were up to...if I still had a chance. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. I can leave this life as a Planeteer behind anytime and have no regrets, as long as I have you."

"I know what you mean. I could not do this job without you by my side. I feel a kind of fear when I do not have you near. I have never been like that before. But for now, we are Planeteers, and while I loved the opportunity to get out into the world, get an education, and find a career, I will always cherish my time as a Planeteer because it is where I met you. I owe everything that is important to me to Gaia and the Planeteers. As long as I am capable of doing the job, I want to do it. I do not care about money or success or career advancement. It is nice to have, but I did not have it growing up, and I was still happy. As long as I am happy, that is all I need...and you are all the happiness I need."

"I feel the same way. Which is why those two places are so important to me and I want them to be a part of our big day. It's where you turned my world upside down!"

"I never thought of it that way...maybe we can keep the guests further back from the edge so they do not see the lagoon…that way it can still be _YOURS_!"

"_OURS_. And that's a good idea. There, problem solved," he says.

"Perfect. Oh, and I have more good news...Niki's brother is a DJ and as a wedding present, he has offered to DJ the reception for free!"

"I love free stuff! That's cool that we'll have a DJ too. I was wondering how we were going to party the night away without any music."

"He's got a wedding playlist already worked out but wants to know if there are any certain songs that we would like. I need to let him know so if he does not have them, he can get them."

"I can't think of anything. Just your standard reception stuff, the chicken dance, the hokey pokey, the electric slide...just stuff to get everyone to have a good time. But if he's got a wedding reception playlist, I'm sure he's got all that stuff."

"We also need to choose a song for our first dance."

"Oh. Wow. Umm. I never really thought about that. I don't really listen to that kinda music. My favorite music would probably be inappropriate for a first dance. It's not exactly slow...it's fast and loud. Why don't you pick the song and surprise me. Isn't that something that little girls dream about their whole lives?"

"HA! I do not know about that, but I will admit, there are certain songs that I have thought would make a good wedding song. As a matter of fact, I think I have a good idea of which song I will choose."

"Good. I'm sure it'll be perfect!" he says, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and pulling her into his embrace.

The moment is interrupted by Ma-Ti's voice in their heads,

"Wheeler, Linka. Gaia has an announcement she wants to make to all of us. But she won't say what it is until you two are back here…any idea when that will be?"

"Umm, I guess as soon as we say goodbye to my parents," Wheeler says while Linka nods in agreement.

"Ok. See you in a few hours," Ma-Ti says.

"Poor Ma-Ti…he never could wait patiently!" Linka laughs.

"Yeah, I wonder how long he waited before contacting us!"

"Three seconds!" she jokes.

"Nah…he probably at least waited until he made it back to his cabin, away from the others!"

* * *

Wheeler and Linka tidy up the house, gather their things, load them into the Geo Cruiser, and go over to Kathy and Joe's to say goodbye. As they take off, Linka makes an observation,

"The next time we see them, they will be on Hope Island for OUR WEDDING!!" she points out excitedly as she grabs his arm.

"I can't believe it's really FINALLY happening. I've done alot, I've seen alot, but this is going to be the greatest adventure of my life! I can't wait to share it with you!"

"Niiiiiiiiice one. Get all your sweet talk in now before we get back to the island and you have to be the 'cool guy' in front of your buddies!" she teases.

"Hey, I flirt with you all the time, no matter WHO the audience is!" he defends.

"Da, but there is a difference between the sweet talk you say when we are alone and the obnoxious comments you make when you have an audience! Show off!" she teases.

"Just letting everyone know that YOU. ARE. MINE." He says as he takes her hand, punctuates his words by kissing her knuckles, and ending on the finger which her engagement ring resides.

"Thank you for continually proving my point!" she laughs.

"Whaaaaat?" he asks innocently. "I just don't like acting all lovey dovey around the others because I figured it would make YOU uncomfortable. You're the one that doesn't like me giving you all that attention."

"WRONG!" She exclaims as she gets out of her seat and moves to stand next to him. She bends down so that she's close to his ear and whispers, "I _**DIDN'T**_ like you giving me all that attention when we were younger and I was unsure of your intentions. Now that I know, I want EVERYONE to know that YOU. ARE. MINE." She says, repeating his words, but punctuating them with kisses along his jaw line, and ending on his mouth.

"Mmmm. Trying to fly a plane here Babe…unless you want me to put it on autopilot and we can continue…"

She takes his face in her hands, stroking her thumbs along his cheeks, and leaning her forehead against his while brushing her nose against his, "I want to continue…"

"YOU DO?!" He says excitedly.

Just as he's about to engage the autopilot, she pulls away, takes her seat, fastens her seatbelt, and says "…in three weeks."

"Unbelievable," he sighs as he tries, unsuccessfully, to get comfortable in his seat. "It's gonna be a long flight," he says under his breath.

"In the meantime, I think it would be best if we slept in our own cabins…you know, to make things less tempting, since it appears that you have NO SELF CONTROL!"

* * *

When they arrive, they see Ma-Ti running out of his cabin and to Kwame and Gi's. Wheeler and Linka don't even have a chance to take their things back to their cabin before the others are leading them to the Crystal Chamber.

"Gaia, look who's back!" Gi exclaims.

"Welcome back you two, things must be getting exciting as your wedding preparations get underway."

"It seems like too much at times, but it will all be worth it in the end!" Linka says.

"Which is why I wanted to tell you all something…Since Wheeler and Linka have alot to do, and there is no way to predict when an eco emergency will arise, I have brought back the other Wind and Fire Planeteers, who are happy to fill these next few weeks since they are on summer break from school. Planeteers, I would like you to meet Kylie and David."

Two young adults enter the room and give a shy wave.

"Nice to meet ya!" Wheeler says. The others follow suit with their own greetings.

"And it's an honor to meet you lot," says the girl with a thick British accent.

"Thank you for taking time out of your summer vacations to fill in for us," Linka says.

"Happy to do it. There's no way I was gonna pass up the opportunity to get to work with the original Planeteers! Plus it also gave me an excuse to spend my summer with this one," the American boy says as he puts his arm around his female companion.

"Bozhe moy! What is it with the Fire Planeteers being such flirts?!" Linka jokes.

"I don't mind. I've missed him so much this first semester away from him," Kylie says. "I was afraid I was going to lose him when we went to different universities, but it just made me appreciate him more."

"Wait…are you two…?" Wheeler asks.

"For almost three years now," David says.

"Ok, never mind the flirty Fire Planeteer…what's up with the Fire and Wind Planeteers always hooking up?!" Gi teases.

"Gaia, I think my ring is broken…it has not found me a girlfriend!" Ma-Ti jokes.

Once the laughter has subsided, Gaia continues,

"Once the wedding day arrives, the other Planeteers will be joining us on the island so that in the event of an Eco-Emergency on the big day, Gi, Ma-Ti, and Kwame will not have to leave their friends' wedding."

The five original Planeteers all exclaim their excitement and appreciation.

"The only problem is that we don't have enough room to accommodate all of you, plus all the guests that will be arriving. So Linka, Wheeler…I assume it will be ok if one of you gives up your cabin since you've been sharing sleeping quarters anyways."

"Uhhh," Linka hesitates.

"Sure Gaia, that's fine. We'll do whatever needs to be done to make room for David and Kylie since they've been kind enough to help us out," Wheeler says as he puts his arm around Linka's waist. "Right Babe?"

"Da," she says, glaring at Wheeler who returns her stare with a goofy smile.

* * *

Two weeks later, Linka is washing her face at the bathroom sink of Wheeler's cabin when the bamboo shower door opens, and a dripping wet Wheeler just stands there smiling.

"Wheeler!!"

"Like what you see?"

"Shut the door, you are getting water all over the floor!"

"I will…after you get in."

"Nyet…one more week…remember?"

"Aw, c'mon Babe…you weren't serious were you."

"Da. I was. It has been two weeks already, and that time has gone by fast. This last week will be over with in no time!"

"Fast?! Are you nuts! It's been the longest two weeks EVER!! And this last week is going to be torture! It's gonna take FOREVER!"

"Maybe it seems long to you, but to me…" she says dismally.

Wheeler shuts off the shower, grabs a towel, dries off, and wraps it around his waist. He stands behind her and tries to catch her eye in the mirror, but she looks down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing."

He steps closer behind her and rubs his hands up and down her arms.

"Talk to me Babe. You're not…having second thoughts are you?"

"What? No! Oh, Yankee. God no. I am sorry if it seems that way. It is just…It is all happening so fast, da?"

"Three weeks? NOT FAST ENOUGH!"

This causes her to smile and glance up to meet his gaze briefly before looking down again.

"I mean the wedding. In just one week, we will be married!" she says.

"I know! I can't wait!" he replies, crossing his arms over her stomach, pulling her against him, and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Neither can I. But after that…the surgery…"

"Stop. No talking about that remember?" He says as he kisses her cheek.

"I cannot help it. Even if I am not talking about it, I am still thinking about it."

"That's why I think you should let me take your mind off of it, and keep you occupied with _other_ things," Wheeler suggestively whispers in her ear.

"Give it up Yankee! It is not going to happen," she says as she turns around to face him, placing her hands on his bare chest.

"We'll see," he says while he scoops her up into his arms and carries her to the bed.

He begins kissing her as he lays her down and braces himself above her. She responds to his actions, forgetting for a moment that she is supposed to be resisting him. The further he takes it, the more she forgets. When he begins pulling up her tank top and kissing the soft skin of her stomach, she knows that if she doesn't stop him now, she won't be able to…or want to. She buries her fingers in his hair and gently tugs until he looks up at her.

"Wheeler….please…one more week…when we are married."

"Linka…" he pleads.

"I promise, it will be worth it."

"It's always worth it…but, if you _REALLY_ wanna stick to this crazy idea…"

"I do…but you have definitely made it challenging."

"I can't believe your will power! I guess I've lost my touch."

"Oh believe me…your touch is just fine!" she blushes.

"I coulda got you to crack. I just wasn't giving it my best effort since I knew this was important to you. I have excellent self control, I just pretend not to."

"HA! DA RIGHT! You wouldn't last two seconds if I tried _**seduce**_ you like you were trying to do to me!"

"Sure I could," he challenges.

"I do not believe you."

"Whatever," he says coolly as he rolls onto his back and folds his hands behind his head.

"You mean if I do this, you can ignore it?" she says while kissing his chest and up his neck.

"Tickles, but yeah, no big deal."

She moves to straddle his torso and kisses him intensely. He goes to run his hands along her sides and hips, but she grabs his wrists and pins them down. The only thing he can grab now is a fist full of sheets. He takes a deep breath and slowly releases it through clenched teeth.

"How are you doing?" she asks while running her hands along his ribs and down his stomach, stopping at the spot where his towel is tucked and mischievously tugs at it.

"Fine," he lies, his voice raising an octave.

She then takes his hands and places them on her thighs, just below the hem of her shorts, pinning him with a look that dared him to try and move them up further. As much as he wanted to, he resisted.

She leans forwards so that she is laying flat against him and whispers "Pretty impressive so far, Baby," she says as she tenderly takes his earlobe in her teeth.

_Yankee_ and _Babe_ were their well-known names for each other, but _Baby_ was a term of endearment they both used for each other only during times of intimacy. It was never used by either of them any other time, which is what made it all the more special.

Once again, she takes his hands and moves them off her thighs and to her waist, under her tank top. She locked eyes with him and slowly pulls her shirt up and over her head. As much as he wanted to look away and run his gaze over her body, he didn't dare look away from her eyes. He was afraid that if he did, she would end this cruel game that she was playing.

"Go ahead Wheeler. If this is not doing anything for you, it is ok to look."

He swallowed hard, but shook his head.

"No. You can't fool me that easily."

"Very well then," she says, placing her hands on top of his and moving them up her sides, his palms caressing her skin as she leans forward to brush her lips across his stomach. He wraps his arms around her and runs them up and down her back. She kisses her way up his torso and their lips meet. She runs her fingers through his hair and he moves his hands to the back of her head and holds her to him as they continue to kiss. She rolls onto her back and brings him with her so that he is now hovering above her. So much for will power.

* * *

Linka pushes her hair out of her face and looks over at Wheeler. He smiles at her and winks.

"I win," she says.

"No, I win."

"I do not think so! I could resist you, but you could not resist me."

"You honestly think I was trying?" he laughs.

"Da. Do not pretend you were not. I saw the look on your face. You were fighting it."

"Oh, you mean this look?" he says as he pretends to look like he is struggling for control.

Linka gasps when she realizes what just happened…he tricked her. "YOU...JERK!" she squeals as she swats at him.

He wraps her up in his arms to prevent her from hitting him anymore. She quits struggling and snuggles into his side. "Two weeks was a long time!" she sighs.

"See! Seemed like a cute, romantic idea at first, but it sucked BIG TIME! I missed this."

"I know you did!"

"No, not that…well, yeah, I missed that, but I mean _this_…afterwards...just holding you," he says as he brushes a lock of hair away from her face and kisses her. "I love you."

"And I love you. Goodnight."

"Yes, it is!"

* * *

To be continued...hang in there. Your invitations to the wedding of Linka and Wheeler are in the mail! You should be receiving it soon!


	7. Here Comes the Bride

A/N: So here it is...this part has been written for MONTHS...I just had to write the chapters leading up to it and explain how they got to this point. Thanks for your patience.

**Chapter 7**

_Here Comes the Bride_

The rest of the week had flown by once the guests started arriving. Mishka and his family were the first to get there followed by Kathy, Joe, Wheeler's grandparents on his mom's side, some of his aunts and uncles, including the priest who would be marrying them, and his younger cousin Joey, who was now in his late teens. Mishka's children loved their first trip to the beach. The experience was made all the more enjoyable by "Uncle Wheeler." Even though he could not communicate with the kids, "fun" is a universal language and one that Wheeler was fluent in! He and Joey made sandcastles with them, took them swimming, taught them how to dive and do cannon balls off the dock, and while they were still too young to surf, he took them out into the waves on a raft and rode them in. The kids especially enjoyed burying him in the sand.

Linka was sitting under an umbrella talking to Mishka's wife, Svetlana, finding it very comforting to be able to converse in her native tongue for a while. She was such a nervous wreck, it was the little comforts and familiarities that were keeping her sane. They are watching Wheeler collect sea shells with the kids.

"So Linka, has this week been going fast or slow for you?" Svetlana asks.

"Yes and no. Having everyone here makes the time go by, but I am tired all the time. I feel so run down, sometimes the night cannot come soon enough so that I can crawl into bed and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. And then in the morning, no matter how much I sleep, it is hard to get out of bed."

"They say that sometimes you can get too much sleep and that only makes you more tired," Svetlana offers.

"Perhaps that is it," Linka conceeds.

"Or perhaps you have a good reason to want to get to bed early and stay there all morning!" her sister in law jokes as she nods her head towards Wheeler.

"Perhaps..." Linka smiles slyly. "But I should not be talking to you about such personal things...it is inappropriate."

"Oh Linka, I am your _big sister _now, not your brother. You can talk to me about girl stuff!"

"Well...we have been _TRYING_ to behave ourselves until the wedding night."

"Oh yeah? How is that going?" Svetlana chuckles.

"It is harder than I thought it would be! It started three weeks ago, we had a momentary lapse in will power last week. Well, technically I was doing in just fine...until he tricked me!"

"Tricked you? What happened? Did you trip, fall, and land on his..."

"HEY! How are my two favorite girls?" Mishka says as he jogs up to them.

"Good! Everything is good," Linka says quickly, happy for the interruption.

"I was just asking Linka if she was getting excited...clearly she is."

Linka looks at Svetlana with a wide eyed, shocked expression, picking up on her sister in law's hidden meaning, and hoping that her brother had missed it.

"Does Wheeler know he does not have to spend every minute with them? They will be fine on their own and find a way to entertain themselves. I am sure he has other things he would rather be doing." Mishka asks.

"No, he is really enjoying having Alexei and Illyana around. He finally has someone he can act his age with! He is a child in man's body. Plus it gives him and his cousin some time together. Joey is like a little brother to him. I am just happy he's found some playmates!"

"They absolutely love him Linka!" Svetlana says. "Every night before bed, we get to hear all about how much fun Uncle Wheeler is and all the things they have learned to do. They do not want to ever leave!"

"I am jealous! They are _MY_ niece and nephew, but I guess I am just not as cool as _Uncle_ Wheeler!" Linka jokes.

"Definitely not! He is good with kids…that should be encouraging for you to see!" Mishka says.

"I never doubted that he would be. Years ago, we were babysitting, who was much younger at the time, and while we were there, Joey's dog died. Wheeler was really great in trying to help him get through it. He was very upset about how hard Joey was taking it. He was so protective of him. Joey ran off and we could not find him and Wheeler was so beside himself with worry, even I could not calm him down. I knew then that he would be a good father some day…I on the other hand, am not so sure how I will be as a mother!"

"You are good with your niece and nephew," Svetlana says.

"Yes, but that is because I do not see them often. I am trying to get them to like me! I do not know if I would have the patience to be a good parent…I have a bit of a short temper."

"Really? I have never noticed." Mishka teases, and then continues, "That changes once you have them. Believe me. I am alot more tolerant of things than I used to be!" he admits.

"Yes, but you had Papa to model yourself after. I do not know _HOW_ to be a mother because I did not grow up having an example to live up to."

"What about grandmother?"

"She was our grandmother, not our mother. Grandmothers are different. I loved her and am glad she was there for us, but it is not the same. Wheeler's mother has been fantastic to me, treated me like family from the moment we met. She has been there for me all through the planning stages, offering advice and support, like what I assume a real mother would do."

"She seems like a terrific lady. His whole family has been very nice," Mishka says.

"Yes Linka, you are lucky to have an extended family like that," Svetlana says.

"I know. But if all I had was Wheeler, I would still consider myself a lucky woman. But being around Wheeler's mother makes me wonder if that is what it is like to have a mother...then I feel guilty, like I am replacing Mamma. It makes me sad for what I have missed out on."

"You will make up for it someday when you have children of your own. It is not something that you can learn from a book, or even by example. It is something that comes natural. Often times, people that do not think they will make good parents, end up making the best parents," Svetlana reassures her.

"Wheeler is the best example of that, from what I have heard. Do you think he had a good example of what a father should be like?" Mishka asks.

"No."

"And look at him now."

The group looks up to see Wheeler with a child tucked under each of his arms as he spins them around in circles. When he sets them down, the kids come running up with a bucket full of shells, chattering away in Russian.

"Aunt Linka, look at all the shells we have found!" Alexei says, showing the contents of the bucket to Linka.

"Do not lie Alexei. Uncle Wheeler found most of the nice ones!" Illyana scolds.

Wheeler and Joey came following behind them.

"Hey Babe, can you ask them if they want to make everyone necklaces with those shells? I couldn't figure out a way to convey that message with hand signals."

"Sure," Linka then turns to her niece and nephew and asks Wheeler's question in Russian.

"DA!!" They exclaim.

"They said…"

"I know what that means! Smartass." Wheeler says, shaking his head, then grabs Linka around the waist and begins tickling her. Once she is able to grab his hands to still them, he rests them on her hips, pulls her against him, and kisses her.

"Ewww," the young kids say, led by a teenage Joey.

"Do you know what that means too?" Linka asks.

"Yeah, I think it means they want me to do it again!" And he does.

* * *

Later that night, Petrosky and the other groomsmen had tried to convince Wheeler that he needed one more night out and were insisting on taking him to the mainland to enjoy his last day as a free man.

"I don't know guys, I think I just wanna spend the night before the wedding with Linka."

"Hey man, I don't blame you for wanting to spend ever second possible with her, but what kinda groomsmen would we be if we didn't take you out for one last night out boozin' with the boys!"

"Well, considering I'm going to be giving up half my liver to my recovering alcoholic father, I don't think that's such a good idea...I should probably be taking care of my liver!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry dude...but what about the ladies. One last lap dance?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! First of all, the idea isn't even appealing to me. Secondly, if Linka knew that's what I did, there wouldn't be a wedding. She has a tendency to get jealous...and she has no reason to because I don't wanna look at any other girls, I don't wanna touch 'em, and I definitely don't want 'em touchin' me! I don't know where those booties have been!" Wheeler says.

"C'mon guys, back me up on this one," Petrosky pleads to Ma-Ti and Kwame.

"Sorry. We know Linka too well. She would be very angry with us," Ma-Ti says.

"Not to mention she'd feel hurt and betrayed by us for taking Wheeler to a strip club," Kwame adds.

"Besides, nothing good has ever come out of a bachelor party...having one is just asking for trouble!" Wheeler says.

"Ok, fine...but just so you know, the girls are planning on taking Linka out. So while they're out having fun and getting all sorts of guys to buy them shots and try to tempt them into doing naughty things, we'll be sitting around wishing we'd gone out."

"Linka wouldn't do those things. I trust her. She's too classy to be tempted by a buncha drunk guys out on the prowl. Besides, if they tried anything, she'd deck 'em, or rip 'em a new one!"

"Wheeler knows this from first hand experience!" Ma-Ti teases.

"That seems so long ago," Wheeler muses.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sophie and Niki, were trying to convince Linka to let them throw her a bachelorette party, but she was reluctant.

"Nyet, I want to stay here with Wheeler and spend as much time with him and our friends and family as possible."

"Aw, c'mon Link! One last night out with the girls won't kill you!" Sophie says.

"Besides, Wheeler's probably going out with the guys. Jake is planning on having a bachelor party for him. Come out with us! You've got your whole life to spend with Wheeler!" Niki adds.

"I hope so."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sophie asks.

"It means, we never know what can happen," Linka clarifies.

Gi closes her cell phone and disconnects the call,

"Stop being so negative," Gi says, knowing exactly what her friend was referring to. "And I just got off the phone with Kwame. He told me that Wheeler shot down their bachelor party idea."

"You two really are perfect for each other," Sophie says.

"Yeah, perfectly BOOOOR-ING!" Niki jokes.

Gi continues,

"Soooo, how about we have a big combined party on the beach? We can have a bon fire, get some drinks, just have a good time with everyone!"

"That's a great idea!" Sophie exclaims.

"It is such short notice…do not worry, we do not need a party. Wheeler's family is so busy preparing the food for the reception, I cannot expect them to do more. The reception is all the party we will need."

"Don't worry about it Link. The reception is too formal. This is going to be a fun, casual, beach party...like a luau!" Niki says.

"Oooh, I've always wanted to go to Hawaii! This is the next best thing!" Sophie states. "WE will handle everything. Between the three of us and the three guys, Wheeler's family won't have to lift a finger. You all just show up."

The three bridesmaids look at Linka, waiting for her to relent.

"Ok, fine."

"YES!" the three other girls yell as they high five.

* * *

The beach party was a huge success. All the guests had arrived on Hope Island for the wedding and were enjoying the luau. Everyone was given a shell necklace, courtesy of Alexei and Illyana. Wheeler and Linka were making the rounds, talking to the guests who had just arrived that day like Captain Thomas and his wife, who once again thanked Wheeler for his advice.

"I don't know what compelled you to bring it up, but I'm glad you did!" Captain Thomas said.

"I guess with my dad's health being so bad, I'm just a big advocate for everyone getting a checkup often," Wheeler covered.

"Speaking of your dad, Bill told me that you were going to be having surgery to give part of your liver to him. That's so brave. We'll be keeping you and your family in our prayers," Mrs. Thomas said.

"Thank you," Wheeler said. Sensing Linka's discomfort at the topic of the surgery, he quickly changed it. "I'm so glad you could make it down for the wedding."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed this for the world! I had to witness the big event firsthand…Any man that would give up his career for a woman…well, that's gotta be one special woman."

"She is," Wheeler says as he puts his arm around Linka's waist and pulls her against him.

* * *

As the night wore on, more guests started excusing themselves to go to bed.

"Linka, the kids are tired and they have a big day ahead of them tomorrow," Mishka says, holding both children in each arm. "Wheeler, the children have something they would like to say to you."

"Good night Uncle Wheeler," they say in unison in broken English.

"Good job!" Wheeler says as he gives them both high fives. "Dobroy nochi!" he says in return, much to their delight.

"See you both tomorrow," Mishka says as he carries the kids away.

Wheeler and Linka walk hand in hand over to the dwindling bonfire where the last of the party goers, Kwame, Ma-Ti, Gi, and Sophie are sitting.

"Hey Soph, where's Nik?" Linka asks as she and Wheeler sit down around the fire.

"Where ever Jake is!"

"Oh….Ooooh," Linka says as the realization hits her.

Wheeler felt bad for the beautiful blonde-haired woman with the big blue eyes. She could easily have any guy she wanted, and yet here she was, sitting all alone.

"Don't worry Sophie, Petrosky and I have got plenty of other friends,"

"Wheeler…" Linka tries to stop him.

"We'll get you your very own man in uniform!" Wheeler continues.

"Oh, I'm not complaining! Besides, I already have my own man in uniform. Unfortunately, it's desert camo. He's in Afghanistan," she replies.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's ok. I've gotten used to going to events alone. He's supposed to be home in two months."

"That's great. We'll all have to meet up for dinner some night," he says.

"That'd be great!"

"Cool. Now if you all will excuse us, I'm going to go for a moonlight walk with my soon to be wife!" he says as he stands and extends his hand to Linka.

* * *

They walk along the coastline, holding hands, but not saying a word. There's nothing they can say to each other that they don't already know.

"By this time tomorrow, you and I will be married," she finally says.

He takes her face in his hands and tenderly kisses her. He pulls back, still caressing her face and says, "and tomorrow at this time, we will be making love for the first time as husband and wife!"

"WHEELER!!" she exclaims, "You have a…" but is cut off by his lips pressing firmly against hers.

"One track mind? I know!" He says as he presses her back against a rock formation at the water's edge and kisses her some more.

She playfully pushes him away.

"Do not get yourself all worked up. You know we will be sleeping in separate rooms tonight," she says as she gives him a quick kiss and walks away.

He chases after her, grabbing her hand and spinning her back around to face him.

"Don't go yet," he asks as lifts her into his arms and spins her around.

She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls his head down towards hers for a kiss.

He gently lets her down, sliding her body down his until her feet are on the ground. She stares up at him, the moonlight reflecting off the ocean illuminating his face perfectly, giving his eyes the illusion that they are glowing. They stay like that for a few minutes while she plays with the sprigs of hair at the nape of his neck.

"I know you're still scared about the surgery, I'm a little scared too, but I don't want that looming over our wedding day. I want us to enjoy it while we can and not think about anything else until after the honeymoon."

"I wish it was that simple. Tomorrow, I do not think I can think about anything **but** the wedding, but after that, that is when reality is going to sink in."

"Well, I'm going to try my hardest to make you forget all about that. Our honeymoon will be the best time you've ever had and neither one of us will be able to remember our names, let alone remember what's waiting for us when we get back home…I promise."

The smile spread across her face as his words sunk in. She ran her hands down his side until they came to rest on his hips. "This is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives. I want to look back on my wedding and smile. I want to be happy all day tomorrow and all throughout our honeymoon. I am going to stop wasting my emotions on the bad things, and give you all the love that I have. From now on, when it comes to the surgery, I am going to think positively. As if there is nothing to worry about, and I am going to think BEYOND the surgery." She is pulling him down so that they are both now kneeling in the sand, her lips barely brushing against his as she speaks. "Think about where our lives will be a year from now," she says as she places a kiss on the center of his chest. "Two years from now," she takes his bottom lip between hers. "Five years from now…" she says, finally deepening their kiss.

"Sounds like an excellent plan. Everything I thought I knew about love changed the moment I met you. Everything was new. Everything was all about you. All I learned about love, I learned from you." He runs his hands down her neck, across her shoulders, and down her arms as he bends her backwards so that she's laying on her back and his body is pressing her into the sand as the waves lap against them. They're sharing a very passionate kiss when out of no where, Wheeler is lifted up off of her by his groomsmen, and she is pulled out from under him and to her feet by her bridesmaids.

"HEY!" they both yell.

"Sorry Cinderella, it's almost midnight," Sophie says.

"So what?" Linka asks.

"Soooooo, it's bad luck for you to see each other on the wedding day," Niki says.

"But the wedding is tomorrow!" Linka protests.

"And technically, it's almost tomorrow," Kwame says.

"So say goodnight you sly dog…and take a good look at that face cuz after tomorrow, it's gonna be the only face you're ALLOWED to look at for the rest of your life," Jake says.

"That's fine by me," Wheeler says, looking sincerely at Linka.

"You better hope she's still that hot 30 years from now!" Jake whispers to his friend.

"She'll always be the most beautiful woman in the world," he says as he walks up to her and kisses her one last time until tomorrow. "Goodnight Baby," he whispers against her ear.

"Goodnight, Baby," she whispers back. "I love you, Yankee," she says, softly, but still loud enough for the others to hear.

"I love you too…_**MRS**_. Yankee!"

* * *

The guests began arriving at the cliff shortly before noon. Chairs were set up in a semi-circle so that the guests' backs would be facing the edge, keeping Wheeler and Linka's private lagoon their little secret. It also allowed for them to be facing the direction so that the bridal party would be walking towards them. If this had been a church, it would be as if the guests were sitting on the alter. Wheeler put Joey in charge of escorting the guests to their seats. Since Linka didn't have any family members other than Mishka's family and her uncle Dmitri, it didn't seem fair to have a "bride's side" and "groom's side." Gaia and Captain Planet were also in attendance, of course, and it would have been impossible for them to choose a side. The "aisle" was nothing more than a white aisle runner, leading from the back to the spot where Wheeler and his groomsmen were waiting. Linka's music was playing softly in the background.

Alexei is the first to come down the aisle, taking his duties are ring bearer very seriously. Once he reaches the front of the aisle, Wheeler kneels down to shake his hand and gives him the "thumbs up" sign. Alexei smiles happily knowing that he did a good job. Illyana is next to come down the aisle, expertly throwing the flower petals down. Wheeler gives her a wink. Niki is next, followed by Sophie, and then Gi as the maid of honor.

The crowd stands when Linka and Mishka come into view. Linka stands beside her brother and begins walking down the aisle. Her wispy white dress has a short train with a sapphire blue trim around the edges. The beads and rhinestones stand out against the dark blue trim. In lieu of a veil, a silver tiara with rhinestones adorns her head. Her hair is down, falling to halfway down her back, with loose curls. Wheeler is grinning from ear to ear at the sight of her. He always thought of her as a princess, now she truly looked like one. He takes a deep, shaky, breath. Once they make eye contact, he mouths, "I love you," and winks at her. She smiles widely and mouths back to him, "I love you too." They don't take their eyes off each other until she is at his side. Mishka takes her hand and places it in Wheeler's. He gives his future brother in law a friendly handshake and says "Good luck," before turning to his sister and kissing her on both cheeks.

Wheeler smiles at his bride and simply says,

"Hi."

"Hi," she quietly replies.

Then, so that no one can see or hear what he has to say, he leans in next to her ear and says,

"You look beautiful…but white? Seriously?" he teases.

She tries to cover her shocked expression over his comments, but she can't stop herself from swatting at his arm. He can only smile back at her, and raise his eyebrows as if to say "What?"

Either the priest heard Wheeler's comment or the heat of the Island was getting to him because his cheeks were turning red, so to prevent anymore awkward moments, he began the ceremony,

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness the joining together of Jason and Linka in holy matrimony. Before we start, I would like to take a moment to remember the family members that are no longer with us physically, but who we know are here with us in spirit; Linka's parents, grandparents, and cousin, as well as Jason's paternal grandparents. Being here these last few days has given me the opportunity to talk to many of the guests and learn more about the couple standing before us. Some of you may have been there from the beginning to witness the early stages of this relationship…and from the stories I've heard, it was quite interesting."

The audience laughs while Gi, Kwame, and Ma-Ti make eye contact and share a knowing smile. The priest continues,

"Through the years, friendship turned to love and that love endured through the years. And while it might have taken longer than either of them would have liked, the important thing is that it _DID_ happen. There was a greater plan for these two and although circumstances kept them apart, a higher power brought them together. When Jason came back to New York after his first time with the Planeteers, I noticed something different about him. My nephew always had a spark in his eye, and he was always smiling…that spark and that smile were gone. Something was missing. I realize now that it was Linka. I am happy to say that the spark is back. And the smile…his cheeks are going to be sore tomorrow if he doesn't stop smiling!"

Wheeler turns to the crowd to prove that his uncle wasn't exaggerating.

"I've gotten to talk to all of the guest here today and have learned a great deal about Linka. Those of you that knew Linka during her days in college may not have noticed a difference because you did not know Linka when she knew Jason. Maybe you did notice though that she was not like most college girls. She threw herself into her studies 100 percent and was reluctant to date. Perhaps you thought it was because she was a dedicated student…which I'm sure she was, but I am sure that you realize now what Linka knew then. She did not need to date because she was already in love."

Sophie and Niki nod in agreement.

"Perhaps it was necessary for them to be kept apart for so long in order to appreciate what they had and to allow them to find their way back to each other. I cannot put into words how these two feel about each other so they have written their own vows to express to each other how they feel and promise themselves to each other before God and us. Jason, you may start."

Wheeler takes both of Linka's hands in his and looks into her eyes as he says,

"I Jason, take you Linka, to be my lawfully wedded wife. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I feel like you are my own personal angel, sent down to me by my Grandma Wheeler, which is why it is so fitting that the engagement ring, and now the wedding band that I will be placing on your finger used to belong to her. I wasn't sure I ever really knew what love was…until I met you. But I was only 16 when we met, so I didn't know what I was feeling. When those feelings never went away, even after five years apart, I knew that it must've been love. When we left the Planeteers and went our separate ways, the whole flight to New York, I tried to picture what my life would be like without you…I couldn't do it. Those were the loneliest years of my life because something was missing. I thought I would spend the rest of my life alone, and I was ok with that because if I couldn't be with you, I didn't want to be with anyone else. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, but it's taken all that time to realize that what I felt then is **nothing** compared to what I feel now. Standing here in front of all these people, I give you my life and all my love through all eternity. I love you and I'm so proud to become your husband. Which is why I vow to spend the rest of my life with you. I will love, honor, and cherish you for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part."

"And now Linka, you may say your vows," the priest says.

"I Linka, take you Whe…Jason, to be my lawfully wedded husband. You have changed my life. I am not the same person I was when I first met you…I am better. Before I met you, I took everything so seriously. You have helped me relax and enjoy life more. I smile more and I laugh more. I am happier when I am with you. I never thought I could feel this way about anyone. I thought feelings like this only happened in movies and could not possibly be real…now I know that it is. When we were apart, my heart was in pieces. And every piece was missing you. And that face that I had come to know from seeing every day for so many years was missing too. Not a day went by when I did not think of you, wonder what you were doing, who you were with, if you were happy…and did you think of me as much as I did you. I am so happy to know that you did and that we found our way back to each other. Now my life is complete. I know it has taken us a long time to get here. We even thought at times that we wouldn't. I know I had my doubts. I never thought I could have someone in my life that could make me so happy or make me feel so alive. You know how hard it is for me to tell people how I feel about them, especially people I care about. But today in front of all these people, I have no problem telling you that I love you. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together. I will love, honor, and cherish you, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part."

Saying that last line was hard for Linka. Wheeler notices her unease and squeezes her hand. She squeezes back and smiles at him, letting him know she is ok.

"Can I have the rings?" Father Frank asks.

Ma-Ti pulls the rings from his pocket and hands them to the priest. He hands a ring to Wheeler, instructing him to take Linka's left hand and place it on her finger.

"With this ring, I give you my promise that from this day forward you shall not walk alone. I have no greater gift to give. May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home. May we walk together through all things. May you feel deeply loved, for indeed you are. May you always see the innocence in my eyes. May we feel this joy forever. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I place this ring upon your hand as a sign of my love and fidelity."

Father Frank gives Linka Wheeler's ring and instructs Linka to do the same,

"You were my yesterday, you are my today, you will be my tomorrow . All I am, I give to you. With this ring I pledge my love and life to you. I will share my joy with you, that it be multiplied. I will share your pain, that it be divided. I will walk by your side as we travel together through life's changes. I will sleep in your arms and that love will be my home. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I place this ring upon your hand as a sign of my love and fidelity." Linka's eyes are filling with unshed tears, the realization that this is finally happening has hit her.

"Then by the power vested in me by God and the State of New York…and the Spirit of the Earth and her beautiful island!...I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may…" But before Fr. Frank can finish, Wheeler already has Linka's face cradled in his hands as he passionately kisses her.

"Oh. Ooookaaaay. Well, I guess you already know what to do," the priest jokes as the congregation laughs.

Linka blushes sheepishly while Wheeler turns to the crowd, shrugs, and says, "What? I've been wanting to do that since the moment I saw her walking down the aisle!"

The crowd erupts in laughter and Father Frank proudly states,

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the first time, my nephew and my new niece…Mr. and Mrs. Jason and Linka Wheeler."

Everyone stands up and applauds as Wheeler and Linka stand before them, staring happily into each other's eyes, aware of nothing else but each other.

* * *

Down at the beach, the guests have taken their seats at the dining tables. Once the bridal party arrives, dinner is served. Wheeler's family did an excellent job of making a wonderful variety of food. Svetlana and Linka's Uncle Dmitri also contributed to the cuisine. Wheeler and Linka have asked the other Planeteers to give the toast, which they happily agreed to do. They wrote the speech together and chose Kwame to be the one to address the crowd.

"Ma-Ti, Gi, and I have known Wheeler and Linka for as long as they have known each other. I think we all knew that they would get to this point eventually…as long as they did not kill each other first! The sparks between them were evident from the start…and so were the deep feelings they had for each other. Wheeler never tried to hide it, but Linka did. She couldn't fool us though. Her actions spoke much louder than her words. When Wheeler was in danger, Linka was a wreck, but always so relieved when the danger had passed. When Wheeler would show another girl attention, Linka would become so jealous, it was best to just stay out of her way."

Wheeler looked at Linka with a knowing grin. Linka shook her head, denying Kwame's claims, but knowing they were true. Kwame continued,

"This is a couple that was meant to be together. Nothing could keep them apart, and now, nothing will. To Wheeler and Linka…Congratulations my friends!" Kwame says as he raises his glass to the couple and the others follow.

After dinner, Mishka stands to address the crowd, his sister, and brother in law.

"I would first like to start out by saying what a lovely dinner this was, so thank you to Wheeler's family and my wife and uncle for preparing such a delicious meal. And also, thank you to Gaia and Captain Planet for their hospitality in letting us all enjoy the beauty of Hope Island as we prepared for this blessed event. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know everyone. When my little sister first left to join the Planeteers, I worried endlessly about the dangers she would face and the fact that she was a young girl who had never left home before. I worried about the people she would meet and how they would treat her…I know how stubborn and difficult she can be to get along with!"

Linka stuck her tongue out at her brother, then smacked Wheeler on the arm when she noticed that he was nodding in agreement.

"I am very happy that Linka found a home away from home with the Planeteers and that they have all provided an extended family for each other. However, I never imagined that Linka's extended family would one day, become MY extended family. Now I have a brother and I could not have asked for a better man for my sister. In the Planeteers, she found brothers, a sister, and the love of her life. When I first met Wheeler, I had a feeling there was more between him and my sister. Brothers tend to be very protective of their little sisters, but when I saw the lengths that Wheeler would go to in order to protect her, I was relieved to know that she was being looked after when I wasn't around. Now that they are married, I know that she will be taken care of for the rest of her life. Welcome to the family, brother," Mishka says, extending his hand to Wheeler.

"Thanks man," Wheeler says as he stands to accept Mishka's hand and then pulls him into a hug.

* * *

The time has come to cut the cake. Wheeler and Linka each take a small piece of cake between their fingers and prepare to feed them to each other.

"Behave Yankee," she says as he slowly brings the cake to her lips. She carefully opens her mouth and takes a bite, taking his fingers in her mouth and licking off the excess icing. "Sucker," she says as she takes her piece of cake and smashes it against his mouth, much to the crowd's amusement.

"Hey!" he yells. He grabs her before she can get away and pulls her to him for an icing covered kiss. Now they both have icing smudges across their mouths, giving them the perfect excuse for more kissing.

Once they have cleaned off, the DJ announces the bride and groom's first dance. Wheeler is curious to see what song Linka has picked. As they stand in the middle of the dance floor, the song begins.

"Interesting choice," he says.

"I thought it was appropriate…and it's true for me," she says as she kisses him.

"Me too," he replies as they sway to the tune of Madonna's _Crazy For You_. "This is the best day of my life," he says against her lips.

"Mine too. I am so happy. I love you SO MUCH. I do not know if I can say it enough to express how much."

"Well, I'll never get tired of hearing it, so say it all you want!" he says as he brushes his lips against her neck and works his way up to her lips. "And I love you too…more than I ever thought possible. Now, what d'ya say we wrap things up here and take the best day of our lives, and turn it into the best night of our lives?" he asks hopefully.

"I say, lead the way!"

When the song ends, Wheeler scoops his wife into his arms, yells, "Later everyone! Thanks for coming!" as he and Linka wave goodbye and disappear into the darkness and back to their cabin.

* * *

To be continued...

Hope it was worth the wait!


	8. The Honeymoon's over

A/N: I'm going to be away from home for a few days and don't know what my computer access is going to be like. So hopefully this will hold you over until I can get back home. I've uploaded a few more chapters to my documents on this site, but they're not quite done yet and I don't like to do too much editing on here. I'd rather have my trusty MSWord so I can spell check and have a dictionary!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_The Honeymoon's Over_

Wheeler woke up the next morning, tangled in the sheets of an empty bed. He looked around the room for any signs of Linka, but saw none.

"Damn. That was one hell of a dream! Too good to be true I guess," he says as he rubs his hands down his face.

Just then, Linka comes out of the bathroom and starts making her way towards the bed.

"Whoa!" Wheeler exclaims as he covers his eyes and looks away.

"What?!" She asks, mildly offended.

"You're not wearing any clothes."

"Neither are you," she says matter of factly as she crawls back beneath the covers.

As if to make sure, he lifts the covers and checks.

"Umm, so are we really married?"

"Of course we are…see?" She says as she grabs his left hand and shows him the wedding band while holding hers up next to it. "Are you ok?"

"I'm great now! When I woke up and you weren't here…I thought it was all a dream. Like, the last five years never happened, and we were still kids who never left Hope Island to go do our own thing, which would mean we weren't even together."

"Sorry to scare you, but I can assure you, it DID happen and we ARE together…forever. I was not here when you woke up because I do not feel well. I have been nauseated all morning since I woke up. I did not want to wake you though, but the longer I laid there, the stronger the urge the throw up got."

"Great. That's a real ego booster Babe…I make you nauseous!" he jokes.

"Nyet, I did not mean it to sound like that! It is not you. You twist my stomach in knots, but in a good way!"

She had woken up not feeling very well, but just thought that perhaps she had over done it the night before. Although she did not have much to drink, nothing more than a sip of champagne during the toast, but the rest of the night, she was too busy talking and dancing to carrying around a drink. Everytime one of her girls brought her a drink, she'd just end up setting it down during conversation and forgetting about it. Maybe the excitement, the heat, and eating more food than she was used to had taken its toll on her stomach.

"Do you think you're coming down with something?"

"I was wondering if it was something I ate, but you do not seem to be bothered by it."

"Nah, but my stomach can handle anything. Are you gonna be ok? Can I get you anything?"

"Nyet. I just want to lay here with you for as long as possible."

"Sounds good to me! I could use a few more winks. Maybe you'll feel better when you wake up too," he suggests.

"Da, I am still tired."

He takes her into his arms and spoons behind her, placing kisses across her bare shoulders and the back of her neck before finally nuzzling her cheek and closing his eyes to go back to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Linka wakes up to find Wheeler propped up on his elbow, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger while looking down at her.

"Good morning Mrs. Wheeler."

"Mmm, say that again."

"Good morning Mrs. Wheeler," he repeats softly.

"Nyet, I cannot get used to it. I still keep thinking you are talking about your mother!"

"Aww geez Babe. Kill the mood!"

"What were you doing?"

"Watching you sleep, memorizing every detail so I can always remember what you looked like the morning after our wedding night," he admits.

"You mean besides the first time you woke up this morning and thought it as all a dream?" she jokes.

"Yeah. This is a do-over...Are you feeling any better?"

"Nyet, not really. Maybe some toast and tea will help settle my stomach."

"I'll make it for you."

"You do not have to…"

"Yes I do. Now that we're married, I'm legally obligated to take care of you...'in sickness and in health'...remember? Besides, I _**want**_ to." he says as he climbs out of bed and pulls on a pair of shorts. "I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Husband."

He returns to her bedside to give her a kiss before he leaves and whispers, "You're welcome, Wife," against her lips.

* * *

On his way to the kitchen, Wheeler stops when he hears someone calling his name. He turns to see Mishka running up behind him.

"Wheeler, thank God you are here. I was afraid I was going to have to go to your cabin and…well, interrupt something and I do not wish to think about my little sister…you know…"

"Yeah, I get it. Is everything ok? Why are you looking for me anyways?"

"There is an emergency."

"Oh my God, is it the kids?"

"Nyet…your father. Gi, and Ma-Ti just took him and your mother to the mainland to a hospital."

"Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?!"

"There was no time. Your mother said he woke up in alot of pain and his skin and eyes had a yellowish tint to them. Ma-Ti said it is likely his liver is failing. Kwame is preparing the Eco Copter to take you and Linka to meet up with the others as soon as you are ready."

"Shit. I gotta go! Can you make some toast and tea for Linka and meet us back at the Eco Copter? I'm going to go tell her about Dad and then get ready to leave."

"Da, of course."

* * *

Wheeler rushes back to his cabin in a mad dash to get cleaned up and tell Linka the news. He hears the shower running and barges into the bathroom, taking his clothes off as he goes, flings the shower door open, jumps in, and startles Linka.

"WHEELER! Bozhe moy! You are hopelessly insatiable! Seriously though, I do not feel well and as much as I want to, I c-…"

"Sorry Babe. I gotta get cleaned up," he says as he grabs the soap and begins lathering his body. "We gotta go. It's dad. He woke up sick this morning."

"Maybe it was the food…perhaps he and I ate a bad…"

"It's not the same as you. Mishka told me that he woke up in pain and that his skin and eyes looked yellow. They think his liver is failing. Gi and Ma-Ti have taken him and Ma to the mainland to the nearest hospital."

"Oh Wheeler. I am so sorry. Is he going to be ok? What else do you know?"

"I don't know. I don't have the details. Kwame is going to take us to the mainland as soon as we're ready," he explains.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just pack a few of our things please."

"Ok," she says as she steps out of the shower and begins drying off.

* * *

The helicopter ride was tense and uncomfortable. Kwame was flying; Wheeler was staring out the window, keeping to himself; and Linka was crying. She did not know what to do for Wheeler, or what to say to him. She knew nothing would make it better. How was she supposed to make him feel better if she herself was an emotional wreck? She had to do something. She gets out of her seat and moves to kneel down next to Wheeler. He either doesn't notice or chooses not to until she takes his hand. He turns to face her and sadly says,

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"We should be on our way to Greece right now. Instead, I'm dragging you to some dreary hospital for God only knows how long. Betcha didn't plan on spending the day after your wedding like that."

"First of all, you are not _dragging_ me anywhere. I am going willingly because there is no other place in this world where I rather would be than with you and your family during this _family _emergency. I am now a part of this family so what affects them, concerns me. Secondly, it was not just _MY_ wedding, it was _OUR_ wedding and the only plans I had for the day after our wedding, was to spend it with you. If that happens to be at a hospital, then so be it. I just want to be here for you."

"Thanks Babe. I appreciate it. I just feel bad…"

"Well stop feeling bad. The only thing you should be worrying about right now is getting your father better. So take me off your list of worries. I am the last thing you should be worried about," she reassures him.

"It's not that easy. You'll always be my number one priority."

"I know…and I love you for that…but not today. Today, you must focus on your father. I will still be here when things calm down and get back to normal. I just want you to know that I am here for you and that I love you," she strokes his cheek with her hand and he places his hand over hers to hold it there.

"You're the best. Having you here with me…I can get through anything."

"_**We**_ can get through anything. We are in this together."

"I love you Babe."

She smiles and nods at him before standing up and giving him a tender, comforting kiss. She was intending on going back to her seat for the remainder of the flight, but Wheeler grabs her hand to stop her. When she looks down at him, he can see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Stay," he asks.

"Nyet. I cannot. I need to sit down."

"So sit here," he says as he pulls her down onto his lap and wraps his arms around her.

She sighs and rests her head against his.

"This will start to be uncomfortable for you after a while," she reasons.

"Nah. You're light. Besides, I've got two legs…we'll just switch you to the other one when this one starts to go numb."

"Whatever you want," she relents.

"I want you to stay here with me."

"Ok," she says as she lays her head on his shoulder, closes her eyes, and falls asleep in his arms.

* * *

They finally arrived in Florida to find that the happiness of the night before had been short lived. Joe had been checked out at a hospital there and the doctors confirmed their suspicions, his liver was failing. Time was running out and the surgery needed to be performed soon if they had any hope of saving Joe's life. He was now being transported to New York where a group of specialists was waiting for them to begin testing Wheeler's overall health and making sure he was free of any illness that would prevent him from going through with the surgery.

Ma-Ti and Kwame take the Eco-Copter and Geo Cruiser back to Hope Island in order to transport the remaining wedding guests back home. Once they are finished, they come back to New York so they can be there for Wheeler's surgery the following day.

The doctors admit Wheeler into the hospital to prepare him for the surgery. Linka does not leave his side the whole time, even at night when all other visitors were asked to leave; she stayed behind, intending to spend the night in the chair next to his bed.

"Go home Babe, get some rest. You're gonna need all your energy and strength tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day."

"I know. I will be fine. There is no way I can go back to that empty house…to an empty bed. I would be awake all night anyways. I will sleep better here, knowing you are near."

"Then come on up here," he says as he scoots over to make room for her in the small hospital bed.

"Nyet Yankee. There is not enough room."

"There's plenty of room."

"Nyet. I still am not feeling well. I need to be able to get to the bathroom quickly should the nausea get too bad."

Before he can respond, a nurse enters the room, and hands him a menu.

"Ready for your last meal?" she asks.

"What is that supposed to mean?! Is that supposed to be funny?!" Linka asks indignantly.

"It means he can't eat anything else until after his surgery. Didn't mean anything by it. Just standard procedure, Miss."

"Oh. Well, perhaps you should word things differently," Linka suggests, trying to cover her embarrassment at the misunderstanding and her over sensitivity.

"Right. Sorry for the confusion. Just pick what you'd like from that menu and call it in to the cafeteria and it will be brought to you."

"Uh, nurse?" Wheeler asks. "The next time you come back in here, can you bring something for nausea?"

"Are you feeling sick?"

"It's not for me…it's for her."

"Sure," she says as she smiles at Linka and exits the room.

"You did not need to do that. I am fine."

"No you're not. You don't need to be strong for me. You need to take care of yourself too. And if you're coming down with something, I need you to get better. When I'm recovering, I'm gonna need to be careful of my immune system. If you're sick, they're not gonna let you see me. I don't want that," he says.

"Neither do I."

"Soooo, let's see what's for dinner. Oooh I can have beef broth, chicken broth, lime jello, cherry jello, or….blue raspberry jello! Wow, talk about fancy. Seriously…I might as well not eat at all."

"You need to eat something. It will be a long time between meals."

"This isn't going to hold me over. I'm still going to be hungry tomorrow morning, no matter what. Hey, do you think my stomach will be growling when the doctor is in there messin' around?"

She looks at him and shakes her head. As much as she does not feel like laughing, she can't help but smile. She knows Wheeler is only trying to make her laugh.

"Perhaps you can ask him to listen for it and let you know."

Wheeler is encouraged by her smile.

Wheeler calls in his "meal" and the two sit there in comfortable silence, absent-mindedly watching TV.

When Wheeler's food arrives, so does the nurse with Linka's nausea medication.

"I am going to call Mishka and make sure they made it home ok, and let him know what is going on."

"Ok, tell him to tell the kids that I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye."

"I will. I am sure they understand."

Linka left the room and headed to the cafeteria. She was hungry too, but did not have the heart to eat "real food" in front of Wheeler while he ate his meager meal. She just hoped that the medication she had taken would alleviate her nausea and allow her to eat and keep her food down.

When she returns to Wheeler's room, he jokes,

"Sorry Babe, I tried to save you some broth, but I couldn't. Hope you weren't too hungry."

"I hope you will forgive me, but I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the cafeteria."

"Aww," he says as he flops back against his pillow. "A PBJ sandwich never sounded so good! C'mere."

She walks up to his bedside and bends down close to him.

"Da?"

He places his hand on the back of her head and pulls her towards him for a kiss. When he pulls away, he has a disappointed look on his face.

"What?"

"I was hopin' to get a taste of the PBJ," he teases.

"No luck?"

"No."

"Probably because I washed it down with a chocolate milk!" she confesses.

"CHOCOLATE MILK?! Since when are you a chocolate milk drinker?!"

"I do not know. It just looked good," she says.

"I think you're just trying to torture me."

"I was not even going to tell you…but the pathetic look on your face after your meal was too much to handle. I could not lie to you…just think of it this way, I was eating it **_for_** you!"

"Thanks…I guess."

The two newlyweds start laughing; something they didn't think was possible given the circumstances.

"I talked to Alexei and Illyana for a little bit. They are worried about you and hope everything is ok with your dad…and they wanted me to tell you that they miss you and love you."

"Awwwwwww. That is too cute. Geez, it took me how many years to get you to say that to me? And your niece and nephew say it after a few days!"

"I guess they are smarter than I am," she says with a sad smile.

"They're awesome Babe. Really. I had so much fun with them. I just wish we could have communicated better."

"Apparently you did just fine. Once they start school, they will start to learn English…and having an American Uncle will be very helpful in their learning. Then you will wish you could not understand them! Illyana is a talker!"

"I know! Even though she knew I couldn't understand her, she just kept chattering away, a million miles a minute. She got her meaning through by the tone of her voice and her expressions. I'm looking forward to REALLY being able to speak with them. I like being an uncle. We need to go visit them or have them visit more often so we can watch them grow and get to know them better."

The reality of the situation once again sunk in, the seriousness that had been plaguing her all day had returned, and she once again began crying. She sits down in the chair next to his bed and lays her head on the edge, allowing the covers to absorb her tears. Wheeler rests his hand on her head and soothingly runs his fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry Babe...did I say something wrong?"

"Nyet. What you said was beautiful. I am so happy our families get along so well."

"Me too. Look Babe, there's still room for you up here. Please lay here with me. You'll get a sore neck and back if you sleep like that…besides, this tiny little bed just gives me the perfect excuse to hold you close."

"Well, when you put it like that," she sniffles and then climbs in beside him. "Is this ok?"

"Perfect."

She curls up against his side and lays her head on his shoulder.

"I also went to the ICU to check on your dad," she admits once she is sure she can speak without breaking down and sobbing.

"How's he doing?"

"They said he is stable. Your mother is also refusing to go home, but since he is in ICU, she cannot stay in the room with him. She is in the family waiting area. I told her to come here and be with us, but she said she wanted to stay close to Joe incase anything changed and they needed to find her."

"Does she seem ok?"

"As well as can be expected for a woman whose husband and son are about to have major surgery tomorrow, I guess." She could not hold the tears back anymore.

Wheeler rests his head against hers and whispers,

"Sssh Baby, please don't cry."

"I cannot help it."

"I hate seeing you like this…knowing I'm the reason for your tears."

"It is not like you are doing it on purpose. It is only because I love you so much and am so worried, and I know I said I would stop worrying and think positively…but with every minute that goes past…it is one minute closer to having to watch you be wheeled away into surgery. The worst part about it all is having no control over what happens once you leave."

"Maybe you shoulda been a doctor," he jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

"Da, maybe…do you think I can learn overnight?" she asks jokingly, looking up at him.

"If anyone can do it, you can!" he says as he kisses her.

"I think maybe I will try to go to sleep instead."

"Good idea. I don't think they let wives operate on husbands anyways." He takes her left hand in his and twines their fingers together so that their wedding rings line up.

"God. It was only yesterday? It seems like it was so long ago," she says.

"It's been a long day. Goodnight," he whispers.

"Goodnight," Linka says as she drapes her arm and leg across him in order to give them both enough room on the bed.

* * *

They are awoken the next morning by the morning shift nurse who is not very pleased to find them in their current, innocent, yet cozy position.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, this is a hospital, not a hotel."

"We were just sleeping…we were not…" Linka is embarrassed by what the nurse was implying and jumps out of the bed, but the sudden movement brings on a wave of the nervous nausea that she had been battling the last few days. She hurries to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Wheeler rushes in after her and holds back her hair while rubbing her back.

"I don't know Babe, I think it might be more than just bad potato salad..."

"It is just nerves. I am fine."

"First I'm gonna ask for a new nurse, preferably one with a better bedside manner, then I'm gonna get you some more medication for that nausea…"

"Wheeler, you do not need to worry about me. I am supposed to be worrying about you."

"And you are…so much so that you're making yourself sick."

There is a knock on the door,

"Mr. Wheeler?"

"WHAT?!" he bites back as he swings the door open.

"If your wife is sick, she really should not be here. It is of the utmost importance that you remain…"

"I KNOW, BUT I **NEED** HER HERE! PLUS SHE'S NOT SICK, SHE'S UPSET, AND YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"

"Wheeler, calm down," Linka says.

He takes a deep breath and continues, "Now, did you have a reason for coming in here...other than to upset my wife?"

"I came here to prep you for your surgery."

Linka felt an immediate chill run down her spine and a numbness take over her limbs as she grabbed onto Wheeler's arm for support.

"Oh. Well, I want a new nurse and I want something that will settle my wife's stomach," he says as he grabs ahold of her waist and pulls her against him to steady her.

The nurse leaves to do as she's told and Wheeler hugs Linka to comfort her.

"Don't let her bother you. Anyone who thinks that a little cuddling in bed means anything more than just that…well, it just means that **_they_** need to get laid."

Linka can't help but laugh.

"Now that's a comforting sound," Kathy says as she enters the room. "It's good to hear you laugh despite everything."

"I am sorry," Linka apologizes.

"Don't be Dear. I wish I could be as relaxed as you."

"Believe me Ma, you just caught her in a good moment. She's been worried sick…literally."

"You don't look well at all Linka...are you ok?"

"I will be fine...as soon as this day is over and both of our husbands are safe and sound and on the road to recovery," she tries to say confidently.

"Amen to that! I just came to see you before they took you back…wish you well and tell you how brave I think you are. I'm so proud of you Sweetie," she says as she kisses his cheek.

"Aw, Ma. You're embarrassing me!"

"I know," she says, wiping the lipstick off his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too Ma. I'll see you in a few hours ok?"

"Ok. Linka, I'll see you in the waiting room?"

"Da, I'll be there after he is taken back to the OR."

When Kathy leaves, a new nurse comes into the room with anti-nausea medication for Linka and gives Wheeler a gown to change into. Once he has changed, the nurse comes back and starts asking him routine, pre-surgery questions, taking blood, and putting in the port for his IV. When she leaves, she says she'll be back in a few minutes to take him to surgery.

Linka walks up to Wheeler's bed and takes his hand.

"Well, Wife, I guess this is it."

"Da, I guess it is, Husband."

"I like the sound of that," he says.

"Me too."

After an awkward silence, Wheeler continues,

"I don't want to sound like I'm sayin' goodbye or anything, but…"

"Then do not," Linka interrupts. "I do not think I can handle it."

"I just want you to know how happy you've made me. And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and…"

Linka cuts him off pressing her lips to his.

"Sssh. Baby, I know all this," she whispers against his lips, "…just as you know I feel the same." She runs her fingers through his hair as the kiss becomes more intense, more urgent, as if it were their last. Tears are streaming down her cheeks as Wheeler cups her face in his hands and wipes them away with his thumbs.

"Careful Babe, this gown doesn't leave much to the imagination. Might be a little weird going into surgery pitchin' a tent."

He can feel her smile against his lips.

There is a soft knock on the door and they both freeze, their bodies stiff with fear that it is time to go.

"Sorry to interrupt, we just wanted to wish Wheeler good luck," Kwame says from the doorway.

Linka sighs in relief, takes a moment to more thoroughly wipe away her tears when she notices that Wheeler has been crying too. She tenderly wipes his cheeks, then turns around to face their friends.

"Come on in," he says.

"We won't stay long, just long enough to give you a hug," Gi says as she embraces her friend.

"And give you both some moral support," Ma-Ti adds as he places a strong hand on Linka's shoulder.

"Thanks guys. Do me a favor…try to keep Linka busy so time passes quickly…if you can tolerate her nervousness for that long!"

"I am sure she will be fine," Kwame says. "We will all need each other's support to keep the nervousness to a minimum.

"Do not worry Linka…it will be over before you know it," Ma-Ti adds.

"I hope so."

"We will see you in a few hours Wheeler…Linka, will you be joining us in the waiting room?" Gi asks.

"Da, I will be there soon."

The other Planeteers hug Wheeler and leave.

"Now where were we?" he asks as he takes her hand and pulls her towards him to continue their kiss.

The nurse returns to find Linka sitting on the edge of Wheeler's bed, holding his hand, while leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I hate to have to do this, but we're ready for him," the nurse apologizes.

Linka takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Ok," she says to the nurse before turning to Wheeler. "Be good. Do not give the doctor a hard time. I do not need you giving him any reason to not take the best care of you!" she orders.

"Yes, ma'am!" he replies with a salute.

"I love you," she says as she gives him one more tender kiss.

"I love you more."

"Not possible," she smiles at him. "Goodbye moya lyubov," she says, taking his hand.

"Not 'goodbye,' it's 'see you later,'" he corrects as they wheel his bed away, holding onto her hand for as long as possible, until their fingertips are the last thing touching.

She brings her hand to her mouth to help hold in the sobs and blows him a kiss. He puckers his lips and winks at her in return as his bed backs through the double doors heading for the operating room.

* * *

To be continued...phew. I know this is only the 8th chapter, but does this one feel like a marathon to you? I feel like I've been writing it forever! Probably because it's been a few months since I started it, but have been jumping around and getting ahead of myself, then having to go back and fill in the blanks. It's the most unconventional fic I've ever written, for me anyways. Even the plot. This was just SUPPOSED to be a wedding fic. Now it's got a whole nother side to it...a fic within a fic! I usually don't deviate from one idea to the next like that. I usually stick with one idea and write it straight through until I get to the part that's been festering in my head. Now I don't let it sit there, I just jump right to it. I guess I'm afraid that in my old age, I'll forget what I wanted to say! 27 is rough! It's all downhill after 25 in my opinion! Thanks for hangin' in there if you're still there.


	9. Patience and Patients

A/N: That was faster than I thought it would be. I'm trying to watch the Olympics, but for some reason, can't get into them. I think I like the winter ones better. Soccer is the only Olympic sport I like watching and all they're showing is gymnastics and swimming. I woke up at 5am to watch a soccer game...which is why I'm so tired now. Enjoy. Goodnight.

**Chapter 9**

_Patience and Patients_

Gi and the others decided to wait outside of Wheeler's room for Linka to come out. They saw Wheeler being taken down the hallway, but there was no sign of Linka. After a few minutes, her friends went back into Wheeler's room looking for her. They found her sitting in a chair, slumped over.

"LINKA!?" They yell as they rush to her side.

She is startled by their sudden exclamation and bolts upright in the chair, a little too quickly, giving herself a head rush and grabbing her head.

"Are you ok?" Gi asks.

"Nyet. I was feeling faint so I sat down and put my head between my knees, and then when I sat up suddenly, I got a head rush."

"Sorry. Are you still feeling faint?" Kwame asks.

"I will be fine. I just need to sit for a while."

"Here," Ma-Ti says as he hands her a glass of water.

"Thank you." Linka takes a drink, closes her eyes, and pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve the pressure that is building behind her eyes.

A nurse walks in pushing a new bed and stops when she sees the room is still occupied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were still here. They won't be bringing your husband back here after the surgery. He'll be in a different room. We'll be needing this room for a new patient. If you'd like, I can show you were the waiting room is…"

"I know where it is. Thank you. I just…"

"She's not feeling very well and needed a minute. We'll leave as soon as she's feeling up to it," Gi says protectively.

"Oh, of course. Take your time. Is that nausea medication helping?" the nurse asks.

"I think so. I was feeling faint just now."

"This is a hospital you know. It's crawling with doctors if you think you need to see one…" the nurse offers.

"No, but thank you. I will be fine."

"You have been saying that for days Linka. Maybe you should take advantage of being in a hospital and get checked out. If you are coming down with something, it could be dangerous for you to be around Wheeler..."

"I KNOW! Bozhe moy! Why do people have to keep reminding me that I may not be able to see my husband when he comes out of surgery because if I am sick, it could kill him?! IT IS ONLY NERVES! Nothing more," she cries.

Her friends and the nurse stand in shocked silence after Linka's emotional outburst.

"Calm down Linka," Gi soothes. "We just want you to take care of yourself…and we want what's best for Wheeler…if you're sick…you shouldn't…"

"**I KNOW**! I know…Fine. I will see a doctor," she relents.

"I can have one come to this room if you'd like?" the nurse offers.

"Yes, that would be nice. Thank you."

"Look at it this way, it will give you something to do to pass the time while Wheeler is in surgery," Ma-Ti suggests.

"Do you want me to wait with you?" Gi asks.

"Nyet. I will meet you back in the waiting room when I am finished," she says coolly.

* * *

**Later...**

When Linka gets back to the waiting room, she hesitates about whether or not to go in. She doesn't want to see or talk to anyone. The only person she wants to be around right now is Wheeler. She needs to see him. The diagnosis she had gotten from the doctor was shocking. She was not expecting her minor symptoms to be something so serious. She cannot get through it alone. She needs Wheeler now more than ever. She wishes she had seen the doctor sooner. If she had found out sooner, she could have told Wheeler. Would he have still gone through with the surgery had he known about her condition? This news changes everything. Just thinking about it makes her stomach flip. She turns and rushes towards the bathroom.

She splashes some water on her face and wipes it off with a paper towel. She takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out, thankful that the nausea has passed.

As she is leaving the restroom, Gi is entering.

"Oh, excu-- Linka!? Is everything alright? Did the doctor see you yet? What did they say?"

"Slow down Gi. Yes, I saw a doctor, but I just want to focus on Wheeler right now, not me. I am going crazy just waiting for news. I need something to take my mind off everything."

"That's probably all it is then…nerves. That would explain the nausea and fatigue. I'm sure you haven't been sleeping that well lately, with all the wedding planning, and then worrying about the surgery."

"Da. Nerves."

"Well, I've been waiting for you to come back to the waiting room. While you were gone, a nurse came into the waiting room looking for you."

"What did she want? Is it Wheeler? He cannot be done with the surgery yet, it is too soon…it has only been…" she checks her watch "…an hour and forty five minutes. It is supposed to take around five hours…"

"Linka!" Gi says as she grabs Linka's arms. "Now who needs to slow down? Just listen to me…she came in shortly after we left you to come to the waiting room. She had something for you from Wheeler. Here," Gi says as she hands Linka an envelope. "She said that he told her to tell you that he wrote it a few days ago and wanted you to have it while he was in surgery, that way it was like he was here talking to you."

Linka examines it and smiles as she runs her thumb across her name, "Mrs. Linka Wheeler," neatly printed in Wheeler's handwriting.

"I am going to go outside for some fresh air and to read this."

"Do you want company?"

"Nyet. I would like to be alone,"

"Ok, sure."

"But thank you...for everything. I know I am being difficult..."

"It's ok. You have every reason to be. Everything will work out fine though." Gi reassures her friend.

"If there is news about Wheeler, will you have Ma-Ti contact me?"

"Of course…and if you change your mind and want company, you know where to find me," Gi says as she gives her friend's hand a squeeze.

"Da."

* * *

Linka walks out the sliding automatic doors and finds a bench to sit on. She carefully slides her finger along the top of the envelope to rip it open. She pulls out the folded pages and unfolds them. In it, she finds his wedding ring attached to the necklace that also holds the Sacred Heart medal she had gotten him when they first started their relationship. It was meant to remind him of her flaming hearts tattoo that she had gotten in college because it reminded her of him. Why is he giving these things back? She looks down at the letter in her trembling hands and begins to read it:

Dear Linka,

I'm giving you my wedding ring and sacred heart medal that you gave me because I was told not to wear any jewelry into the operating room. I hate having to take either one of them off because as long as I have them, I feel like a part of you is always with me. Just hang onto these for me for a few hours and give 'em back when you come to see me afterwards.

Well, today's the big day. As you're reading this, I'm alone in a sterile room surrounded by doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel that are ready to jump in and do their thing. They don't know me. They don't care about me. To me, I'm just another patient. Of course, they don't want me to die, but death is a part of their profession and they're used to it. I think they call it "clinical detachment." They don't know about my personal life, that the guy they're dissecting is giving over half his liver to his ex-alcoholic father, who made his life miserable as a kid. But you know.

You know how hard it was for me to forgive my dad. I can't just forget what happened in the past, but I can make sure there's nothing but good memories in the future. The people who are about to operate on me don't know that I am the luckiest man in the world. They don't know that I'm married to the only girl who could ever make me happy. But you know…or at least, I hope you know that. I mean it Babe, all those years I spent trying to get your attention, then all those years I spent trying to forget you, as painful as that was, I'd do it all again if I knew we would end up together like we did. When we left the Planeteers and went our separate ways, the whole flight to New York, I tried to picture what my life would be like without you…I couldn't do it. Even though I knew it was impossible, or at least highly unlikely that we'd have a future together, I still held out hope. I'm so glad I did. I couldn't move on...not without you. Something inside me told me that **_you_** were the one I was meant to be with. You were my first and only true love. These last few months together have been everything I'd ever hoped for and more.

When they put me under today, I want you to know that you'll be the last thing I think of. Your face is the image that I will see when I close my eyes. And I know when I wake up after the surgery, yours will be the first face that I see. Your voice will be the first that I hear. Your hand brushing the hair off my forehead while your other hand holds mine will be the first thing I feel. I know that you'll be at my side the second they say, "Mrs. Wheeler, you can go in to see your husband now," and I know you won't leave until after visiting hours have ended and the nurses have forced you out!

I can't wait to get started on spending the rest of my life with you; starting a family with you; raising our kids and watching them start their own families. Things might not always be easy, like right now, I know you're having a hard time watching me do this, and I'm so sorry that I'm putting you through all this worry. I wish there was another way. Just look at it this way, if I will go this far for someone that I spent many years trying not to hate, just think of what I'd do for someone that I love as much as I love you. I'm only giving up half a liver for my dad, but I'd give my life for you. From the time we first met, there was never a time when I wasn't in love with you. Even when I had started to give up hope that we'd be together, tried to resign myself to the fact that you'd probably moved on and I should too, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I never stopped loving you. When we were younger and we'd have our little fights over the stupidest little things, I'd try to stay mad at you and avoid you, but I couldn't. I couldn't stand not being around you, or not talking to you, and when I'd look at you, I had a hard time remembering I was supposed to be mad at you. I thought you might like to know that for future reference! You will win every argument because I will ALWAYS be the one that caves. I can accept that. You know why? Because as much as I hate arguing with you, I LOOOOOOVE making up with you! ; )

I'm so happy you're my wife. I don't know if I can ever find the words to express to you exactly how happy I am…I don't even know if there is a word strong enough to describe how I feel. I will be the best husband I can be to you. You are everything to me, and I'm nothing without you. I need you…always. And I am forever yours.

See you when I wake up!

Love,

me

Linka wipes away the tears that have been falling and places his chain with the sacred heart pendant and his wedding ring around her neck for safe keeping. She knew Wheeler was capable of being sweet…he was the king of sweet-talking, especially when he was trying to impress her. She knew that this was much more than that. He sat down and put these thoughts together for her and wrote them down so that she would always have proof of how he felt. Sometimes, it's easy to forget the kind things that people say, but when it's written down, it can be read over and over again, which is exactly what Linka is doing.

* * *

A few hours have passed when Linka decides to go inside. Wheeler has been in surgery for almost five hours and if things are on schedule, according to Dr. Richardson, the surgery should be over soon and they should be getting ready to transfer Wheeler's partial liver to Joe.

She enters the waiting room and sees her friends sitting on a couch in the corner, watching TV and playing a card game.

"Hey Linka. How are you feeling?" Ma-Ti asks as he looks up from his hand of cards.

"I have been better…but thank you for asking. Where is Kathy?"

"She has been sitting with Mr. Wheeler in his room this whole time. The nurse said that even though he is in ICU and should not have visitors for more than a few minutes, she could stay with him until it was time to take him back for the transplant," Kwame explained.

"That is good. She should be with him and spend as much time with him as she can before the surgery. I am glad I was able to spend as much time as possible with Wheeler before they took him back," she checks her watch for the millionth time that day, "he should be out of surgery soon."

Just then, Kathy walks into the room and makes her way over to the group. They do not notice until she approaches Linka and puts her hand on her back.

"The others told me you aren't feeling well and were going to see a doctor. Everything ok?"

"Nothing will be ok until our husbands are out of this horrible place and recovering comfortably at home," Linka says, expertly avoiding Kathy's question. "Have they taken Joe back yet?"

"Yes, just now. I'm assuming that means that Jason is done or close to it. Haven't you heard anything?" Kathy asks.

Linka shakes her head as both women take a seat on the couch with the others.

Gi returns from the vending machine and approaches Linka,

"Here," she says as she hands Linka a bottle of ginger ale. "Is your stomach still upset?"

"A little. It comes and goes," Linka says. "Thank you."

"Have you eaten anything?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Nyet, but I probably should."

"Good, I also bought you a pack of peanut butter crackers," Gi says offering Linka the package.

"You thought of everything didn't you?! Thank you," Linka says as she accepts the package of crackers and opens them. She takes a small bite and tries to swallow, but feels like there is a huge lump in her throat that is preventing her from doing so.

"Mrs. Wheeler?" a voice calls from across the room.

Linka and Kathy both stand up. Once the doctor sees them, he makes his way over towards them with a medical chart in hand. "I'm sorry, I'm looking for the wife of Jason Wheeler?"

"That is me."

"I'm Dr. Brown. I assisted on your husband's surgery. He is out of surgery and has been moved to recovery…"

"When can I see him?" Linka interrupts.

"Once he wakes up in the recovery room, we will move him into a regular room. He'll be very groggy and out of it for a while…probably the rest of the day. But once he's settled in his room, you can go in there and sit with him. Someone will come get you when he's been moved to a room."

"Thank you doctor," she says as she breathes a sigh of relief.

* * *

A long time had passed and still, no one had come to get Linka. She was getting impatient and once again nauseous. She was pacing when she suddenly grabbed the arm of one of the chairs and sat down in it.

"Are you ok?" Gi asks as she rushes to Linka's side.

"I am just feeling a little dizzy, that is all."

"I do not blame you. All that pacing you were doing was making me dizzy too," Kwame teases.

"Are you going to be alright?" Ma-Ti asks.

"I do not know. I feel faint again," Linka says.

"Perhaps you should lie down," Gi says as she helps Linka up and leads her to the couch.

"I need to find out what is taking so long. Why have they not come to get me?"

"Maybe they forgot? I am sure it is busy there and they lose track of who is supposed to be informing the family," Kwame suggests.

"I will go up to the desk and ask them if they can call up to the recovery room and find out what is going on," Ma-Ti offers.

"Thank you Ma-Ti."

* * *

A few minutes later, Ma-Ti motions for Kwame to join him at the desk. Kwame leaves the girls and walks up to Ma-Ti.

"What did you find out?" Kwame asks.

"Nothing. They will not tell me anything since I am not family. I tried to explain that I was asking on behalf of Linka because she was not feeling well enough to do it herself, but that was still not good enough. I do not understand. They see I have been here all day with Wheeler's family, and yet they will not tell me anything, as if I am a complete stranger. I even told them that we are like brothers, but still, it is not good enough."

"It is ok. We will just ask Kathy to come over and do the asking. She's his mother, surely they can tell her."

"The only thing they would tell me is that a doctor would be down soon to speak with us...but a doctor was already here and told us it would only be a few minutes until Linka could go see Wheeler and that was...an hour and fifteen minutes ago!"

Just then, a doctor walks past them and over to the couch where Gi and Kathy were tending to Linka. It was Dr. Richardson, the doctor who had performed the surgery on Wheeler and was now supposed to be doing the surgery on Joe. He has a grim look on his face. Kwame and Ma-Ti do not like what they see. They look at each other with concern and then rush over to where the doctor stands before Kathy and Linka.

Once Linka sees the doctor approaching, she sits up on the couch and then stands to face him.

"It is about time!" she admonishes. "Can I see him now?"

"We were starting to get worried," Kathy says as she stands to join Linka, trying to calm her daughter in law by taking her hand.

"I'm sorry to keep you both waiting," Dr. Richardson apologizes. "Mrs. Wheeler...I'm afraid I've got some bad news..."

* * *

To be continued...but WHICH "Mrs. Wheeler" was he talking to?! I'm thinking maybe I just have one more chapter left to go...I have the last three paragraphs of it written. Now I just have to write the rest of it. Good news...I'm off work tomorrow...bad news...I tend to sleep all day, then I'm going to see Mamma Mia and go hang out with my friend and her baby...I might get some writing done tomorrow night. At the first sign of a cranky baby or dirty diaper, I'm outta there!


	10. Til Death Do Us Part

A/N: I am sooooo sorry that it's taken so long. I wanted to keep you hangin', but never intended to make it that long! It's been busy at work, helping to move my cousin into her dorm, and then one of my best friends at work got transfered so I lost focus on everything except how sucky work is going to be from now on, and all my free time has been spent filling out applications for a new job, or looking at houses. I know I said before that this would probably be the last chapter, but now I think it's the second to last. I'm not quite finished with the story yet, but I don't want to delay any longer (thanks for the poke SportyScully! I'm still here, and everything is fine...other than missing my friend and hating my job!). Once again, forgive any mistakes in medical terminology or facts.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_Til Death Do Us Part_

"...Mrs. Wheeler...I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

Linka could not look at the doctor, feeling guilty for being relieved that Wheeler was ok. She chose a spot on the floor to stare at and waited for him to continue. Her heart was breaking for her mother in law. Wheeler had been out of surgery and in the recovery room for quite some time now. She assumes that the only reason no one came to get her sooner was because everyone was too pre-occupied with whatever was happening with Joe. Dr. Richardson was silent. Kathy blurted something out and then wrapped her arms around Linka and began crying. Linka put her arms around Kathy without thinking, not knowing what to say. Then, as if on a delay, Kathy's words registered in Linka's brain,

"Oh God, not my baby."

Her baby? As in her son?! '_Mrs. Wheeler_'...then it dawns on her "_I am Mrs. Wheeler now too_." Linka thought back to yesterday morning when she had woken up in Wheeler's arms and he called her "Mrs. Wheeler," and how she had said that it would take some getting used to, because she thinks of his mother when she hears it...which is exactly what just happened now. Linka breaks her concentration on the ground and jerks her head up to look at Dr. Richardson. He's looking right at her, apologetically.

She shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears, her face turning red.

"Nyet. No. No, he cannot be...I cannot...not without him"

"Mrs. Wheeler...Linka. I need you to calm down and listen to me," Dr. Richardson says.

Linka takes a deep, trembling breath, and tries to focus on the doctor's words and not on all the possible scenarios that are running through her head. She wills her body not to give up on her, not to pass out, not to throw up. The initial shock is wearing off and she's becoming more aware of the spinning room and the tightening of her chest. When the doctor reaches out to touch her arm, she pulls away and yells,

"I cannot breathe!"

Kwame and Ma-Ti step protectively between Linka and the doctor, each taking her by the arm and urging her to take a seat.

"Heart," Ma-Ti whispers, thinking that he can calm his friend from the inside. "Linka-AAAAAh!!" The connection is broken after only a few seconds, not by Linka, but by Ma-Ti who was not prepared for the flood of emotions that Linka was projecting to him. Anguish, fear, extreme sadness, loneliness, anger, love, and something else...something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He's felt this feeling before, but it doesn't make any sense now. Usually this particular emotion is reserved for animals who are scared for their young, an over protectiveness. Is Linka blaming herself for not being able to protect Wheeler? Is he picking up emotions from Kathy? Ma-Ti is very confused. He looks at Kwame and shakes his head. There is nothing he can do for her.

"Take a deep breath through your mouth Linka...now let it out. Now close your eyes and keep doing that," Kwame says as he rubs comforting circles on her back. "That's it. We are all here for you."

Gi wishes she could hug her friend, but she knows that that is not what Linka wants, nor would it help. Instead, Gi comforts Kathy, who is sobbing into Gi's shoulder.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let him do it. I was being selfish. I never thought it would end like this."

"Excuse me, I think..." Dr. Richardson starts to say.

"I knew it. I **KNEW** something bad was going to happen. From the moment he mentioned that he wanted to do this, I had a bad feeling..." Linka says.

"**PLEASE!**" The doctor says loudly in order to get everyone's attention. "If you'll let me continue…it's not what you think. He's alive but in serious condition. He's stable...for now. There was a problem in the recovery room. There must've been a bleeder because his blood pressure started dropping rapidly. I was called out of Joe's procedure to try to stabilize Jason. He started hemorrhaging and lost a lot of blood. We needed to use all of the blood that we had flown in from the blood bank, which means, we don't have any left for Joe if there are complications. This is not good at all since their blood type is so rare. We don't have a choice though, he's open on the table. If we don't continue, we'll lose him. We are making arrangements to have more blood flown in, but it could take up to five hours to get here. We can't wait five hours though. We still have another 10 to 11 hours of surgery to go, so the blood will be arriving at some point during the surgery. We just need to hope and pray for the best as far as Joe goes and I'm going to get right back in there to oversee and assist in the procedure as needed, as soon as I'm done here. So far, everything is going well. Jason on the other hand, is in a coma. However, it will give his body a chance to recover."

"WHAT?! You make it sound like him being in a coma is a good thing!" Linka says angrily.

"As I said, his body needs to recover from the shock of all that blood loss. Even though we used all of the supply that was sent, he could still use a few more pints."

"When can I see him?" she asks.

"You shouldn't. There's nothing you can do and he's..."

"I _NEED_ to see him, and you will take me to him **NOW**."

"Ok. But only for a few minutes. Follow me."

Linka turns to her friends and Kathy before she leaves. She can feel their support, but see the pain and worry in their eyes.

"I will tell him you are all here for him," she says before turning back to follow the doctor.

* * *

"How did this happen?" she asks. "You said that the risk to the donor was .5 to 1 percent."

"But like all surgeries there are risks. These things can't be predicted and sometimes they can't be prevented. So far, it would seem that we've stopped the bleeding. If he wakes up, his chances of survival greatly increase. "

"Whoa, wait. What do you mean _**if **_he wakes up? Do you not mean _**when**_ he wakes up?" Linka challenges.

"We lost him for a while which means his brain was deprived of oxygen. There's no way of knowing how that affected him until he wakes up. He may experience memory loss. It might be long term. It might be short term. It could be temporary. It could be permanent. All we can do now is wait. Which is why I can't have you in there long. He needs his rest."

"HE'S IN A DAMN COMA! HOW MUCH MORE REST DOES HE NEED?!" She yells.

"Once we get a neurologist in there, they can determine the depth of his brain function. He might be aware of his surroundings but unable to react. If that's the case, having you around, but not being able to communicate with you could cause him unnecessary stress.

"No. You do not understand. He NEEDS me. If I am there and he knows it, he will wake up. He needs motivation. A soothing voice, a comforting touch..."

"I'm sorry. That's not how it works. I wish it was. But this isn't TV or a movie. You can't wake him up with a kiss."

"I can try," she says quietly, sadly. The fight has gone completely out of her.

Dr. Richardson felt sorry for her before. Now he wished more than ever that she could miraculously cure her husband with just her presence.

"Yes, you most certainly can try."

* * *

They arrive at Wheeler's bed, but before Dr. Richardson pulls back the curtain, he warns Linka,

"I just want you to be prepared. He's very pale and is hooked up to all sorts of monitors...and he's on a breathing machine. He can breathe on his own, but this helps."

"Ok."

Dr. Richardson pulls back the curtain and motions for Linka to step forward. She moves to the inside of the curtain and gasps when she sees her husband's pale, lifeless body. If it were not for the slight rise and fall of his chest or the beeping of his heart monitor letting her know his heart was beating, she would have thought the worse.

"Can I…can I touch him?" she asks in a shaky voice.

"Yes, just be careful of the IV lines and monitor wires. I'll give you some privacy, but I'll be back in a few minutes. Then you'll have to leave."

Linka nods, only half listening to the doctor. Her main focus was on the man in the bed in front of her. Once the doctor leaves, she moves closer to Wheeler's bedside. She carefully takes his hand, wrapping her fingers around his. She allows her tears to fall freely as she quietly cries. Knowing that she has very little time with him, she kisses his cheek and whispers in his ear,

"Wheeler…I do not know if you can hear me, but I have to believe that you can. Just because you are unable to open your eyes, does not mean that your brain is not processing the things going on around you. Right? I hope so. You are scaring me. Remember what you promised me? You said everything would be ok, that you would come back to me. I need you to keep that promise…for so many reasons. I need you with me. And your mother, of course, is worried. Kwame, Ma-Ti, and Gi wanted me to tell you that they are thinking of you. I am glad we have them in our lives. They have been so good to me through all of this. I am sure you will find this hard to believe, but I have not been very good company these last few hours, but they understand and are just as worried as I am. We all need you…but I need you more! Please wake up. Please. You promised," her voice trails off as she cries.

Dr. Richardson returns.

"I'm sorry Linka, you have to leave now. Once we move him to ICU, you can see him during those visiting times. You'll get 15 minutes, once an hour."

Linka nods in understanding before returning her attention to Wheeler once more,

"You have waited for me all these years and now I will wait for you. However long it takes. I will be here waiting for you to wake up. I love you, Yankee. Never forget that." She kisses his temple, then his cheek. "I will be back as soon as I am allowed."

* * *

Linka was true to her word. An hour later, a nurse came to tell her that Wheeler had been moved to the ICU and that no more than two visitors could go in to see him for the allotted visiting time. Linka and Kathy were the first to go in. Kathy was a wreck and could barely hold herself together. Linka was the opposite, stoically standing at Wheeler's side, holding his hand, willing her strength to him, and hoping that his mother's overly emotional state would not affect him negatively. She wanted to tell Kathy to pull herself together, that this wasn't helping, but how do you tell a mother not to be upset over her son? On the other hand, her visiting time with Wheeler was limited and standing by and watching his mother cry and tell him how sorry she was is not how she wants to spend it.

"Kathy, do not talk like that. It is not what he needs to hear. Tell him how much you love him, tell him not to give up, tell him things that will make him want to fight."

"Ok, you're right," Kathy says as she composes herself. "Jason, I'm so proud of you. You've always been so brave, and never been afraid of anything. It's why you're always putting others before yourself. You did it when your father would come home drunk and you would try to get him to focus his anger on you instead of me; you did it when you joined the Planeteers; you did it when you joined the NYPD, and now you've done it again for your father to save his life. All those good deeds cannot go un-rewarded. You deserve so much more than this. It's your turn to be happy now. You have so much to live for. A new wife, a beautiful home…two beautiful homes if you count Hope Island…the work that still needs to be done as a Planeteer. Alot of people are still depending on you, and I know you won't let us down. Plus you're my only chance at becoming a grandma, so you have to stick around for that! Come back to us Sweetie," she says as she kisses his forehead and squeezes his hand.

Kathy walks over to Linka and gives her a hug,

"I'll give you some privacy," she says before leaving.

"Thank you."

Once Kathy has left the room, Linka turns to Wheeler.

"I do not know what to say. What can I say that I have not already said? What can I say to get you to wake up? How about this…I am not leaving this hospital until you wake up. You do not want that do you? The staff will all start to talk about 'how bad that Wheeler guy's wife stinks!'" she chuckles sadly. "See what you are missing? Wake up and you get to hear more of my lame attempts at humor," she says as she brushes his hair off his forehead.

"I'm sorry Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now," a nurse says.

Linka checks her watch,

"But it has not been 15 minutes yet," she protests.

"I know. I'm sorry we have to cut your visit short, but the neurologist is ready to see him. They are going to run a few tests. Once we know the results, we'll have someone notify you. And the next visit, if I'm the nurse on duty, I'll let you stick around for a 5 extra minutes to make up for the early departure now. I know it's not much but…"

"No, it is very nice of you. Thank you. I will be in the waiting room if anyone is looking for me," Linka says.

An hour later, a different doctor came to see Linka in the waiting room.

"Mrs. Wheeler? I'm Dr. Patrick. I'm the neurologist who was looking into your husband's case," the doctor says as he extends his hand and introduces himself.

"Yes, hello Doctor. Did you learn anything more about his condition?" she asks, getting straight to the point.

"Yes. I'm very encouraged by what I found. His reflexes and motor functions do not seem to be affected by the lack of oxygen from when he was…"

"Please…do not say it."

"Right. Sorry. Anyways, everything seems to be responding as it should be. It's just a matter of giving his body time to recover from the trauma of the blood loss."

"How soon until he wakes up?" Ma-Ti asks.

"I'm reluctant to give a time table. It could be a few hours; it could be days or weeks. It's all up to his body. When his brain feels that his body has had ample time to recover, he'll wake up," the doctor explains.

"Is he aware of his surroundings? When I talk to him, can he hear?" Linka asks.

"I can't say definitively if he can comprehend what you are saying, but our tests showed that certain words and phrases caused more brain stimulation than others. We would use names of friends and family. You'll be happy to know that we received the largest spike in neurological activity when he heard your name…"

This bit of information caused Linka and the others to smile.

"…which is why I'd like you to be present for the next round of tests. I'd like to monitor his response to your presence, then your touch, then your voice."

"Yes, of course I will do it," Linka says.

"Are you using him as some sort of medical guinea pig?!" Gi crossly asks the doctor.

"No, not at all. The information we find will be useful in the future, but I assure you, my only intent is to get your friend back to you. Each patient's reactions differ on a case by case basis. What we find out from Mr. Wheeler may not apply to the next case like this," Dr. Patrick explains. "We're going to hold off on the tests for now since we just ran him through a gamut of them, give him a break from the stimulation for now."

"Does that mean I cannot go in to see him?" Linka asks worriedly.

"Oh no, of course not. We've already kept him from you long enough. I know it's not the normal visiting time, but I think I have enough pull around here that I can get you in there for a while."

"Thank you!" Linka says appreciatively.

* * *

Linka was still not used to seeing him like this, so lifeless and vulnerable. She took his hand and once again began speaking softly to him.

"Hi Yankee. I have been out there in that waiting room passing the time by thinking of things to say to you, and I want to tell you some things that I think you should know. If you come back to me, I promise to always laugh at your jokes, no matter how lame or corny they are. I will never stay mad at you for longer than a few minutes. I will watch whatever movie you pick without complaining. I will let you eat whatever unhealthy junk food you want without nagging you about it."

Then she turned more serious.

"I promise that I will never again take the little things for granted. Like when you do something as simple as smile at me, or when we are on a mission and your hand briefly brushes against mine, letting me know exactly how you feel, but cannot say while we are trying to maintain a professional working relationship. Well, no more. No more pretending that we are not crazy for each other. If we are on a mission and want to hold hands, we will. If we want to hug, we will. If we want to take a moment to share a chaste…or not so chaste kiss, we will. And if the mission is an over-nighter, and we want to spend that night together in the same room, in the same bed, we will. There is no longer a reason to hide it. We are married now. It is ok to show the world. I **want** the world to know…especially all those girls that send you fan mail and pictures of themselves! I want them to know that they are wasting their time. That you are mine! And the boys that send me mail, they will know that I am yours, and yours alone. I always have been, and I always will be. We have a connection, a bond that will never be broken." She links her fingers with his, lifts his hand to her lips, and kisses his knuckles.

All too soon, it was time for her to leave. The additional supply of blood had arrived and they were preparing to give Wheeler a few more units. When she went back to the waiting room, she discovers that Sophie, Niki, and Jake are there.

"Oh my God Link, we just stopped by to visit and then the others told us the news. I…this is…geez…I don't even know what to say…are you ok?" Sophie stammers. "No, of course you're not. What a stupid question…"

"Soph…stop. It is ok. I am glad you all are here. Maybe now the others will leave for a few hours, go eat some REAL food, and stop worrying about me!" Linka says appreciatively.

"We can't help it Linka, it's what we're here for!" Gi says.

"And I am glad you are here, but please…get out of this God awful hospital and get some fresh air, go get a real meal. Go back to my place and get freshened up, take a nap…there is no point in all of us suffering," Linka replies.

"So we should just let you suffer by yourself?" Kwame teases. "What kind of friends would we be then?"

"You are the best friends. Really though, I am fine."

"She's right, we'll take over," Niki says. "You guys look like you could use a break."

Gi, Kwame, and Ma-Ti offered to go to Linka's house to pick up anything she might need, like a change of clothes, a book to read, or her iPod, or Wheeler's PSP so she wasn't completely bored, an offer that she quickly accepted.

The next time Linka got to go in to see Wheeler, she took Jake with her. His friend made lighthearted comments mixed with words of encouragement.

"You picked a hell of a way to get out of writing thank you notes from the wedding, buddy."

Jake gives Linka a supportive hug before leaving her alone with Wheeler.

"Wheeler, I am getting really scared. I do not want to show it to the others, but I am having a really hard time holding it together. There is so much on my mind right now, and all I want to do is talk to my best friend…but I cannot do that because he is in a coma. Besides being scared, I am mad. At your father for being an alcoholic and destroying his liver, at your mother for letting you go through with this, at you for doing it, and at myself for being a selfish little brat for being upset with anyone other than me. _**I**_ should not have let you go through with this. I should have put my foot down and said no. But how could I? Is it right to have asked you to choose your family over me? Am I wrong to think that you would have chosen me? No. I know you would have. And I could not have forgiven myself for putting you in such a difficult position. There is only one way to make all of this better, to make the fear and anger go away…and that is for you to wake up. Please. Give me a sign that you can hear me. That you are trying to come back to me."

She waits for any sign of movement, any unusual sounds from the monitors indicating a change in his condition. She sees nothing so she bends down to gently kiss his lips, careful not to disturb the breathing tube, and then she reluctantly leaves the room.

Hours pass with friends and family coming and going to offer their support. It helps the time go by quickly, but to Linka, the only thing that means is that it is just more time that Wheeler has spent unconscious.

The other Planeteers arrive back at the hospital with a few comforts from home. They brought take out containers filled with an assortment of food for Linka and Kathy to choose from; chicken, pasta, pizza, salad…and things to keep them occupied; puzzle books, magazines, but the most important thing, the one thing that brought Linka the most comfort…Wheeler's pillow. They did not know it was Wheeler's pillow; they just grabbed one of the pillows off the bed when they went into Linka and Wheeler's room to get Linka some clean clothes. Linka knew immediately that it was Wheeler's pillow when she hugged it to her body and she smelled his scent on it…his shower gel mixed with his deodorant created a unique smell that she'd always associate with her husband. She buried her face in the pillow and took a deep breath and was instantly at ease. Her brain was telling her body "it's ok. He's here. We can rest now." Suddenly, the adrenaline that had kept Linka going all day had suddenly drained from her body. She almost fell asleep right there, and she would have if it had not been for the arrival of a new doctor.

"Mrs. Wheeler?"

Linka looks up optimistically, hoping that the doctor was addressing her and had news about Wheeler. Her hopes were dashed when she saw that the doctor was talking to Kathy.

"Your husband is out of surgery now and is in recovery. He came through it with no problems at all. He'll be moved to his own room shortly and you can go see him. He'll probably be in and out of consciousness and groggy for a while," the young doctor said.

"Thank you doctor!" Kathy said happily, but at the same time felt a sense of guilt and sadness.

Linka picks up on Kathy's mixed emotions and tries to ease them,

"That is wonderful news. At least we got some good news today," she says as she squeezes Kathy's hand.

"Yes. Everything will work out. We will get more good news…hopefully soon."

"Da. Hopefully."

* * *

Visiting hours were over in the ICU so Linka would not be able to see Wheeler again until the next morning. She curled up on one of the waiting room couches, wrapped her arms around Wheeler's pillow, rested her head on it, and quickly fell asleep. She was sleeping so soundly, she wasn't even aware when someone from the front desk came to tell Kathy that Joe had been moved to his own room and she could go be with him now. Instead, she dreamt. In her dreams, all was right with the world, or her world anyways. Wheeler was there and he was healthy. In her dream, she sat on the beach and watched as Wheeler was off in the distance, playing in the water with a young boy and girl. She couldn't quite make out their faces. Alexei and Illyana? Was it a memory or a dream? It didn't matter. It brought her comfort to see him smiling and playing. In her dream, she smiled. And everyone in the waiting room who looked at the sleeping beauty would see that she was smiling in her sleep as well.

* * *

The next morning, as much as she hated to do it, Gi woke Linka up with a gentle nudge.

"Linka…Linka visiting hours have started back up for the ICU."

"Hmm?" Linka says as she squeezes her eyes shut against the fluorescent lights of the waiting room and stretches.

"You can go in to see Wheeler now. I figured you would want us to wake you up for that so you don't miss out on any visiting time," Gi explains.

Then it dawned on Linka, where she was, and why she was there. She bolted up to a sitting position and began running her fingers through her hair to fix it.

"Oh my God. Yeah. Yes. Thank you." Linka takes the piece of gum that Ma-Ti is offering her and rushes off to see Wheeler.

When she gets there, Dr. Patrick, the neurologist is there with Dr. Richardson, Wheeler's surgeon. The first thing she notices is that the breathing tube has been removed. She begins to say something to them, but Dr. Patrick puts his finger against his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and then ushers her outside.

Once the door is closed, she excitedly asks,

"Is he awake?!"

"No. Other than his blood levels being back to normal, and him getting some more color back to his complexion, there's no change," Dr. Richardson explains. "We took the tube out since he's stabilized more."

"I just didn't want him knowing you were here yet," Dr. Patrick says. "I wanted to run that test I told you about. It's been eight hours since your last visit so since this is the first time in a while that he's heard from you, I think our chances of getting a bigger reaction from him will be better. Dr. Richardson and I will go in there first, finish setting up the equipment, then when I give you the signal, I want you to come in, but close the door loudly, so he can hear it, but don't say anything until I tell you to. Then after that, just follow my lead."

"Ok," Linka agrees. "But why do you not just ask someone who's been unconscious and then wakes up, if they heard anything or remember anything from when they were out."

"I have. Lots of doctors have. You know how sometimes when you wake up, you can remember your dreams, but sometimes you can't, even though you know you had one?"

"Yes."

"Or some say they remember bits and pieces, some remember nothing. But those that remember the bits and pieces might just be remembering what family members are telling them…'I was here every day talking to you. Could you hear me?' and they'll say yes because they know it's what their loved one wants to hear," Dr. Patrick says.

Linka nods in understanding,

"I guess that makes sense. Like when you say you remember something from your childhood that realistically, you were too young to remember, but you can recite details based on what others have told you about it, or from pictures. Like I think I remember my mother, but I was three when she died. So I could not possibly have any memories of her, other than pictures or what my brother, father, or grandmother told me about her."

"Exactly! Are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes," she says.

Dr. Patrick finishes hooking Wheeler up to the monitors then motions for Linka to enter. She does as she was instructed and shuts the door a little harder than necessary. Dr. Patrick gives her a thumbs up to let her know that was good.

"Jason. Did you hear that? Do you know who just came into the room? It's your wife," he turns to Linka and says "Come on over here Linka."

Dr. Patrick takes note of the changes. Then he gestures to Linka to hold Wheeler's hand. She does as she's told and is amazed at the activity on the monitor.

"I guess he knows it's not a nurse," Dr. Richardson teases.

"Go ahead and say something," Dr. Patrick whispers.

"It better not be a nurse," Linka jokes, reminiscent of the days when she would easily get jealous.

The doctors laugh and are greatly encouraged by the brain activity that is registering.

"This is amazing," Dr. Richardson says.

"Linka, please continue. Say whatever you want to him. We'll even go to the other side of the room to give you some privacy. We just want to monitor him for a little longer to make sure that this isn't a coincidence," Dr. Patrick says.

"Could it be? Just a coincidence, I mean?" she asks.

"It's possible he could just be having a dream and that it coincides with your actions and speech. That'd be a pretty amazing coincidence though considering these spikes in activity are matching up perfectly with the outside stimulation we're giving him. Keep going. Say things that you know would get his attention if he were awake. Disagreements you have, differences of opinion you may have on an issue. Things he likes, his favorite meal, tell him his favorite sports team just won the championship…whatever you can think of," he says quietly to her.

"Ok," Linka returns her attention to Wheeler and strokes his cheek. "I have a confession Yankee…I changed my mind…I want a big family. At least five kids…maybe more. We can build onto the house." She glances up at the doctors who are laughing quietly.

"It's working," Dr. Patrick whispers.

"I am only joking moya lyubov," Linka moves closer to Wheeler's ear, making sure that only he will be able to hear what she has to say next. "Remember that night in New York a few weeks before the wedding? You said it was the best ever? And it was. But I think we can do better."

Dr. Richardson turns to Dr. Patrick and whispers,

"His heart rate is rapidly increasing. Should we stop?" He asks in concern.

"Judging from the way she's blushing, it's a positive sign that his heart is racing. It means he's hearing whatever she's saying!"

"Jealous Mark?" Dr. Richardson jokes.

"Little bit, yeah!" Dr. Patrick laughs.

Linka is oblivious to the two doctors as she continues to plead with Wheeler,

"You need to get better though. The sooner you wake up, the sooner you start recovering, then…the sooner we can start trying to top that night…Wheeler…" she pauses to compose herself, but she can't keep herself from crying. "…we do not have much time left. In a few months, it'll be too late...we will not be able to..." She kisses his lips as her tears steam down her face and drip onto his.

She walks over to the doctors as she wipes away her tears and declares,

"I cannot do this anymore. Are we finished?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Dr. Patrick stammers, confused by her sudden change. "We have enough information to go on. It was all very encouraging. Thank you."

"You are welcome. Excuse me."

The doctors share a perplexed look and wonder what has the young woman so upset.

* * *

Linka returns to the waiting room, even though it's the last place she wants to be right now, she doesn't know where else to go.

"Linka, Kathy was just here looking for you," Kwame says when he sees her approaching.

"What did she want?" Linka asks as she plops down heavily in the waiting room chair and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Joe is awake. He would like to see you," Gi informs her.

"Oh," is all she can say as she looks up. "I do not think I am ready to…"

"Linka! There you are. Did you just come back from seeing Jason? How is he? Any change?"

"Yes I saw him. There is no change. He is off the breathing machine, but still not awake."

"Oh. Well that's good that he's off the machine. It's a small improvement, but an improvement none the less." Kathy then checks her watch. "There's still time left for the visiting session. I think I'll pop in real quick to see him."

"I will come with you," Ma-Ti says, anxious to get another chance to see his friend.

Gi and Kwame each take a seat beside Linka.

"If there's still time left in the visiting time, what are you doing here?" Gi asks.

"I do not know what else I can do or what else I can say. I cannot just stand there and look at him like that…knowing that he is in there somewhere, trying to get out. Or at least, I hope he is. I just need him to wake up. Soon. I do not know how much longer I can…" her voice trails off.

Kwame and Gi each put an arm around her to let her know they are there for her, but let their friend cry in peace.

* * *

When Kathy returns, she walks over to where Linka is sitting with her head in her hands and staring at the floor.

"He looks good. Much better than yesterday. He's got some of his color back, and it's much easier to look at him without that thing in his mouth. It's only a matter of time until he comes back to us, I know it," Kathy rambles, exuding positive thoughts. At Linka's silence, she asks, "Are you ok Dear?"

"Nyet. I do not feel well."

"Do you want to go outside for some fresh air?" Ma-Ti offers. "I was going to go for a walk, you can join me if you would like…or if you would rather be alone…"

"Nyet. A walk sounds nice. I will join you," Linka says as she hurriedly stands up and heads out the door, leaving the others shocked at her hasty retreat.

Ma-Ti walks briskly to catch up to her. He finally reaches her side when they are outside. She stops, takes a long, deep breath, holds it, and slowly lets it out.

"Feeling any better?" he asks.

"I think so."

"What is wrong Linka?"

She laughs humorlessly, and retorts, "I thought it was obvious."

"Besides that. I know there is more."

"You know I do not like it when you get inside my head Ma-Ti."

"I know. And I am not. I do not need my ring to know that there is more troubling you than just Wheeler. If you want to talk about it…"

"I do not," she cuts him off. "It is between Wheeler and me…only I cannot tell him."

"Ok. That is fine." There was a long pause as they walked through the courtyard. Ma-Ti finally got the courage to approach the next subject.

"So are you going to see Joe?"

"I do not know. I know I should. It is what Wheeler would want, but I do not think I can see him," Linka sits down on a park bench and motions for Ma-Ti to sit next to her. "Ma-Ti…I…I do not know if you will understand what I mean. I do not understand it myself…I am glad Joe made it through, but part of me is questioning why things happened the way they did."

"I know exactly what you mean…I…and the others as well…feel the same way. We were talking about it earlier. The unfairness of it all. How Wheeler did something out of the goodness of his heart and this is how he gets repaid? He ends up at risk. And we all feel bad for feeling this way but…"

"You cannot help it!" Linka offers, knowing precisely how he feels.

"Exactly. And neither can you. We all love Wheeler. And you and he share something special…something that most people can only hope to find. And while I do not know Joe as well as you do, I am sure he is a nice guy…now. But Wheeler has ALWAYS been a nice guy. Joe got a second chance because of Wheeler. Wheeler will get his second chance as well."

"I hope you are right Ma-Ti."

"Linka…I have a confession. When I went in there this morning, I used my ring. He is in there. He is trying. I could sense it."

Linka chuckles and shakes her head.

"What? You think I am crazy?" Ma-Ti asks.

"Nyet, of course not. It is just…all that testing and all those machines the doctors were using, and this whole time, all we had to do was ask you!"

"You did not need to ask me, nor did you need their tests or machines. You already knew Wheeler could sense you, feel you, and hear you. You have that strong of a connection."

"I would like to think so. It is what brought us back to each other before."

"And it will be what brings you back to each other again. Be honest, did you really think that he could not hear you?"

"Nyet. Deep down, I knew that he could."

"Not 'could,' but 'can.' He CAN hear you. Do not stop talking to him. Do not give up. You want him to keep fighting, but you have to keep fighting for him as well. You are the half that makes him whole. If you give up, he gives up. Go see his father. Find out what he has to say. Then go back to Wheeler and tell him he did it. He succeeded in saving his father."

Linka looks over at Ma-Ti and smiles.

"Thank you Ma-Ti," she says as she pulls him into a hug. "This is exactly what I needed."

"I know. It is what Wheeler told me to tell you."

Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes open as Ma-Ti just smiles in return.

* * *

To be continued...


	11. Happily Ever After?

**Chapter 11**

_Happily Ever After...?_

Linka gently knocks on the hospital door.

"Hello?"

Kathy turns around and is surprised to see her daughter in law.

"Linka! You came!"

"Da, of course I did. I just did not want to come too soon. I uh, wanted to give Joe more time to get situated and more awake. Is he…?"

"He's still a little drowsy and is taking a lot of little naps. He's been asleep since I came back from seeing Jason. Come in. Have a seat. Do you feel any better after your walk?"

"Da. It really helped. I think the fresh air is just what I needed."

"Good. I'm glad you're here. Joe's been asking about you and wanting to talk to you."

"Does he know about Jason?"

"Yes. I think that's why he wants to talk to you," Kathy says.

"I do not want…"

"Linka?" Joe asks groggily as he slowly opens his eyes.

"Yes. I am here. How are you feeling?"

"Like hell, but they tell me that's normal."

Kathy excuses herself to go back to the waiting room and eat some of the leftovers from the assortment that the other Planeteers brought the night before.

"I'm so sorry," he says as he holds out his hand to Linka.

She takes it.

"Shh, do not get yourself worked up about it. You need to stay calm and rest."

"But this is all my fault. I should have never agreed to it."

"Nobody knew that this would happen. It was not supposed to happen this way. The doctor said the risk to him was so small…"

"But there was still a risk, and now my boy is fighting for his life, all because he wanted to save me."

"But he is so stubborn, he would not have taken no for an answer. He was going to do this no matter what. And he will be fine. Everything will work out. We have to believe that, ok? Think positive," she says.

"I want to. But I feel so guilty…If I hadn't been an alcoholic, this wouldn't have been necessary. I wouldn't be here, and Jason wouldn't be here. And you…you didn't ask for this. I ruined my life, I ruined my wife's life, I ruined my son's life, and now I'm ruining yours."

"You did not ruin your son's life. His childhood may not have been the best, but he has forgiven you. He has moved on. He had a wonderful life as a Planeteer, and then did really well for himself in school and getting a career, and now we are so happy together…"

"You mean _were_ so happy together. I've taken that away," Joe interrupts.

"No, you have not. He is not dead, so please, do not talk about him as if he is. I need to be able to tell him when I see him that you are doing fine and that he succeeded in saving you. That's what he needs to hear. And then we can all move on with our lives."

"I just wish he hadn't been a match. That's all. Things would have been much less complicated," Joe admits.

"I felt that way too. I am ashamed to admit it. I am glad you are going to make it though. What is done, is done. It cannot be changed. And he would not change it, even if he could. Your son is a hero. He saves people. It is what he does best," Linka says.

"I know. I'm so proud of him. I can't wait to tell him that. I hope I get that chance," he closes his eyes and lets a single tear fall.

"You will. In the meantime, I will tell him the next time I go in to see him. Which will be in a few minutes."

"Thank you Linka."

"For what?"

"For not hating me…or at least covering it up if you do."

"I do not hate you. I could never hate you. And you have to know that Jason never hated you," she says.

"Why not? I hate myself."

"Why?"

"I put myself in this position. I destroyed my liver, I almost destroyed my marriage, and I destroyed my son's childhood. Dying a slow painful death was something I deserved. He should have just let me. If he had, he wouldn't be in the ICU. He'd be laying on a beach somewhere with you, enjoying your honeymoon together. He should have just let me die," Joe says.

"He could never have let that happen. He was hurt by you and he carried that with him for a long time. He will always remember the past, but he sees that you have changed and he is looking forward to new memories. We both are. You are my family now too. I love you and Kathy as if you were my own parents. If anything happened to either of you, I would be very sad."

"And you know we love you like a daughter, right?"

"Yes."

"And parents will do anything to protect their children, or at least, they're supposed to. By letting Jason do this, I've not only hurt him, but I've hurt you as well. I hurt both my kids…which is why this is so difficult for me…seeing you…your eyes are red and puffy from crying, you've got dark circles under them from losing sleep, and I feel guilty because it's my fault."

"Is it your fault? Were you in there operating on him? Were you the doctor that closed him up with a bleeding artery? No. And you know what? I do not even blame the doctor. I wanted to. I looked for someone to be mad at. For someone to blame. But what is the point? Being angry does not change what happened. It just makes you feel worse. Believe me. I was angry, but as soon as I let that go, I felt a thousand times better. And then I came here to see you to make sure you were not feeling the same way I was, and if you were, I was going to make you stop looking for someone to blame, especially if that someone was yourself," Linka pauses to let everything she said sink in. "Besides, nothing was going to stop Jason from going through with this. He knew that if anything happened to you, Kathy would be devastated, which is also a major reason why he wanted to go through with this."

"He always was very protective of her. He had to be with me around."

"He is fiercely protective of those he cares about. Including you. He did this for you too," Linka reassures him.

"At what cost? His willingness to save me may have taken him away from you."

"Nothing has taken him away from me. And nothing ever will. No matter what happens to him, now or in the future, part of him will always be with me."

Joe is about to respond when Kathy enters the room.

"Oh my God, I have wonderful news!" she exclaims.

"He is awake?!" Linka asks hopefully.

"Uh. No. Not that good. BUT they are moving him out of the ICU and into his own room. So, no pesky limitations on when you can see him. You can stay in there as long as you'd like now!"

"Have they moved him yet?" Linka asks.

"They were just getting ready to when they came to tell us. The nurse was looking for you, but I told her I'd tell you. He's in room 244."

"Thank you. I must go. Will you excuse me?" she says as she looks at Joe.

"Yeah, yeah! Go! Give him my best. Hopefully by the time I'm able to get up and about, he'll be awake."

"Da. Hopefully. You are ok, right? What we talked about…You believe me?"

"Yeah. Lying makes people ugly. You don't look like you've ever told a lie in your life!"

"Ahh, now there is that classic Wheeler family sweet talk." She leans over and places a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for coming by to talk kiddo. It meant alot," Joe says as he squeezes her hand.

"You are welcome." Then she pauses and with a wink and a smile adds, "Pop!"

"I take it you will be down soon to visit…Ma?" Linka says, trying out the parental names Wheeler has for his parents.

"Yes Dear. Once Joe falls back to sleep and you've had time to get settled in down there, I'll be down."

"Good. See you then."

As soon as Linka is out the door, Kathy turns to Joe and asks, "Who was that girl and what did she do with Linka?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Linka's always been a sweetheart," Joe says.

"I know. But she hasn't been herself these last two days. She's been quiet. Kept to herself, and was even to the point of making herself sick over all of this."

"Well then, I guess we should be thankful that she's getting back to normal. Maybe that means everything else will be back to normal soon."

"I hope so. I was really getting worried about her. Her emotions have been all over the place."

Joe would have responded, but he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Linka rushes down to the waiting room to grab her things. She will no longer be spending anymore time there. As long as Wheeler is in a private room, she will be by his side. The others smile at her as she gives them a hurried hello and goodbye before heading for Wheeler's room. When she gets there, she is surprised to see a pretty young girl smiling as she was unsnapping Wheeler's hospital gown and exposing his chest.

"What the HELL are you doing?!" Linka asks indignantly.

"This is my new patient. I was told to change his bandages and give him a sponge bath," the green-eyed brunette says in a tone that angers Linka even more.

"I will do it," Linka says as she places her belongings on a chair.

"That's ok Ma'am. It's **MY **job and I'm more than happy to do it," the nurse says saucily.

_Ma'am? Who does this little…Shliuha…think she is? She cannot be that much younger than me._ Linka thinks to herself.

"Well, that is _**MY**_ husband, so it is no trouble at all for me to take over. He would probably prefer that I do it anyways. So if you value your job, you will leave…**NOW**."

"But I highly doubt you are capable of or qualified to change his bandages," she retorts condescendingly.

"I have tended to his wounds more times than I can count. I have wrapped sprained ankles, dressed head wounds, and even have experience cleaning around and covering up stitches…which I think he's had to have three or four times since I've known him."

"These aren't just little minor injury stitches, these are SURGICAL WOUND stitches."

"Bozhe Moy…do you believe this girl, Yankee?" Linka says, addressing Wheeler's unconscious form before turning back to the offending nurse. "I am pretty sure that my English is correct, so I do not understand why you are not comprehending me when I tell you to leave us. Now, if you do not get out of here in five seconds, I will have Dr. Richardson come down here, tell him all about how unprofessionally you are behaving, and…"

"Fine!" the nurse says as she throws the sponge back into the water basin. "Don't come cryin' to me when his incision gets infected."

"Do not worry. I will not!" Linka calls back to the nurse. "Yobanaya suka!" she says under her breath as she wets the sponge and begins wiping down Wheeler's chest. "I am sorry Yankee, I was so distracted by that…_potaskushka _I did not even say hello to you," she says as she bends down to kiss him. "Hi."

As she continues to wipe down his arms and his torso, she tells him about her visit with his dad.

"I just got done talking to your father. We had a very good talk. He kept apologizing and he feels really bad about you being like this. He thinks it is his fault and he feels guilty. I know I told you earlier that I was upset and angry at your dad, but I am not. Before, I did not know what I was feeling, or why I was so angry. Nyet, that is not true. I know it was because I was concerned for and upset about you, but I have calmed down since. I talked to Ma-Ti before I went to see your dad. I did not want to see Joe at first, but after talking to Ma-Ti…I guess I was feeling more positive."

She removes the gauze covering his wound and gasps.

"Wow. That's quite a cut. Looks like your appendectomy scar will have company."

She takes the materials left behind by the nurse from hell and begins cleaning and dressing the incision. Once she finishes, she says,

"See, that was not so hard. And your little nurse friend did not think I was able to do it. Looks better than when the doctor did it!"

She finishes wiping down his body, pulls his gown back up, and re-fastens the snaps. She kisses his neck and up to his cheek before stopping at his lips, placing several lingering kisses there. She stops for a few seconds and continues to press her lips against his, waiting for some sort of response,

"Come on Baby. Come back to me," she whispers against them.

She is suddenly very tired and knowing that she could stay with Wheeler as long as she wanted, it was easier to rest. She went over to the chair were she had deposited all of her belongings and moved them to the floor so that she could pull the chair next to Wheeler's bed and sit next to it. She pulls her iPod out of the bag and turns it on. She places one of the earphones in Wheeler's ear and the other in hers as she positions the pillow that was brought from home next to Wheeler's head. She then lays her head on the pillow and takes his hand.

"Sound familiar? These are the songs from our wedding, only these versions have the words. I know you cannot understand the words, but someday I will translate them for you. Not right now though. Now, we just listen, and sleep. Well, I will sleep. You can feel free to wake up any minute," she says with a yawn before giving him a kiss on the cheek and drifting off to sleep.

She hadn't intended on sleeping the rest of the day, but she was exhausted and as long as Wheeler was close by, she allowed herself to catch up on some much needed sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Linka was awoken when she thought she heard someone talking to her.

"Mrs. Wheeler?"

Linka slowly opens her eyes and looks over at Wheeler, hoping that it was him that she heard. When she saw that his eyes were still closed, she did what she's done every time she's woken up next to him since they started sharing a bed; she nuzzles her nose against his cheek, then places a kiss there. Usually she would get up and start her day while he continued to sleep. Today was different though. She had nothing to do. No errands to complete, no breakfast duty, no eco-emergencies…the only thing on her "to do" list was to wait for Wheeler to wake up. Then she heard someone behind her clearing their throat. She turned to see which one of her friends or family members it was.

It was neither. It wasn't one of Wheeler's doctors, however, he looked familiar to her.

"Oh. Hello."

"Hello. I'm sorry to wake you," he says.

"Oh. So I wasn't imagining things then! It is ok. I think I have been asleep for…11 hours now," she replies as she checks her watch. "My neck is probably going to be killing me later."

"I was hoping I'd finally get the chance to talk to you. I realize that you've been going through alot these last few days, and I'm very sorry to hear about your husband, but I would like to set up an appointment for you. We need to keep an eye on your condition, and I'm sure your husband wouldn't want you to neglect your own health on account of him."

Then it dawned on Linka who this doctor was. He was the one who examined her right after Wheeler had been taken into surgery. He was the one who gave her the news that she was least expecting.

"No, he would not. But I have not told him yet. I have not had the chance...obviously. He needs to know."

"And you need to keep and eye on this or the consequences..."

"I know, I know…" she interrupts. "When would you like to see me?"

"I took the liberty of setting you up with an appointment with Dr. Walsh. She's the best in her field. We're lucky to have her on staff here," he says as he hands her an appointment card. "You can be assured that you'll get the best care from her. She'll get you through this."

"Thank you for you concern, Doctor."

"Absolutely. I'd just bumped into Dr. Richardson yesterday on my way home and asked him how his live donor transplant went. When I heard there were complications, I immediately thought of you and figured you might have other things on your mind other than making an appointment for yourself. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now."

"You were correct. It is not that I have not been thinking about it. Believe me, it has been weighing heavily on my mind. And I have not told anyone else because he should be the first one I tell. So I have no one to talk to about it."

"Well, I know about it. Would you like to talk to me? Is there something you'd like to get off your chest?" he asks.

"No, not really…just…How am I supposed to tell him? I mean, do I do it right after he wakes up? Do I give him time to process what just happened to him…it is kind of a big bombshell to drop on someone who just came out of a coma, from dealing with one health predicament to another. And he will still need to focus on getting himself better. I do not want him worrying about me."

"It's only natural that he'd be concerned about you. As for when to tell him, you'll know when the time is right. The situation will present itself and you two can begin dealing with it together," the doctor reassures her. "That's probably the scariest part for you, feeling alone."

"Yes. It is the worst feeling. It is frustrating," she admits.

"Well, just keep talking to him. Let him know he's still got something worth fighting for. Hell, yell at him if you have to!"

"He never listens to me when I yell at him anyways!"

"Hopefully today's the day. It'd be great if he could be there for your appointment. If you're not going to tell any one else, you could really use his support. I don't recommend that you keep it from them for long. You're going to need all the support you can get."

"I know. When the time is right, I will tell the others," she says.

"Ok. Well, if you need anything or have any questions, here's my number," he says as he hands her his card. "Take care."

"I will. Thank you," Linka says as she stands to shake his hand.

Once the doctor has left, Linka stretches and walks over to the mirror. She looks better than she did yesterday, but she still looks worn out. She pulls a hair brush and a toothbrush out of her bag and heads to the bathroom. The shower is supposed to be for the patients, but since Wheeler's not using it and she is in serious need of it, she decides to take a quick one.

* * *

When she comes out of the bathroom, she feels as good as she has in days. She stands next to Wheeler's bed and runs her hand through his hair.

"I remembered something when I was in the shower. I forgot I had it on…" she unclasps the necklace she'd been wearing around her neck, Wheeler's Sacred Heart medal, and removes his wedding band from around the chain. "Here," she says as she places the chain around his neck and fastens it. "And now this." She takes his hand and slips the ring onto his finger. "Remember what I said when I first put this ring on your finger? I did not think I could love you more than I did on that day. But I do. And it was only four days ago. I cannot believe it has only been four days. Is it possible to love someone more in just four days? Especially when they have spent three of those days unconscious? The thought of losing you…knowing how close it came to happening…I could not cope. Knowing that I came so close to losing you has only made me realize that I love you more than I ever thought possible. And now…there are so many reasons why I love you, and why I need you. You are my first and only love. I will never love anyone like I love you…and I do not want to spend the rest of my life alone and not having someone to love and someone to love me in return. So you _**have **_to wake up. "

She strokes his cheek, bends down, and presses her lips against his. When she's done, she leans her forehead against his and whispers,

"I know you can hear me Yankee. So listen up…not that you have ever been any good at listening, but this is the most important thing I will ever say to you. This is not funny. So stop it! Wake up...I need you to wake up...Please, Wheeler…**wake up**...I have something that I must tell you. Can you hear me? Please…give me a sign." She looks down at where their hands are joined, hoping for some movement.

"If you need a reason to come back to me, I will give you a hundred. I love you. I cannot live without you. I do not want to. I need you. During your surgery, I did as you asked and saw a doctor. I was not expecting the answer I received. I…it's…I cannot do this alone. I cannot get through this without you…" She was trying to be strong for him, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her, especially since she was trying to convey positive feelings to him. She couldn't help it though, she broke down and started sobbing.

She stood up straight and took his face in her hands.

"Damn it Wheeler. _**Wake up**_ so I can tell you to your face. I need to hear your voice. To tell me it will be ok…that we will get through this together…that you will be by my side." She runs her hand down his cheek, and then bends down to once again whisper in his ear, her voice cracking and shaky as her body is wracked with sobs, "Please, Wheeler. You and I…"

"We are…"

"I…"

She takes a deep breath and blurts it out as quickly as she can,

.

.

.

.

"Wheeler, I am pregnant."

* * *

The End!

Thanks for reading and all the reviews. Most of you already guessed what was "wrong" with Linka, so it's not much of a surprise ending. Part four of the series will address the pregnancy.


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